Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Research

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on rolling out a national approach to costing and contracting for commercial clinical research undertaken in the NHS.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Research

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress NHS England has made on expanding the scope of the National Contract Value Review to include (a) early phase studies and (b) advanced therapy medicinal products.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Op COURAGE: Finance

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was provided for Op Courage in 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Incontinence: Waiting Lists

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time was for patients to be assessed for NHS continence services in (a) Stockport (b) the North West and (c) England in the latest period for which data is available.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: South East

Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will publish the projected spend in NHS England's dentistry budget for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of coordination of a Respiratory Syncytial Virus vaccination programme for infants and older adults with seasonal influenza and covid-19 vaccination programmes.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the independent report of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, updated on 11 September 2023, what plans he has to develop a new vaccine programme to protect infants and over 75s against Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Sick Leave

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of officials in her Department are on long-term sick leave.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the reasons for disparities in the number of cases of (a) Crohn's disease and (b) ulcerative colitis by (i) region and (ii) socioeconomic status.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Pregnancy

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that pregnant dental patients can access free NHS dentistry appointments.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Suicide: Internet

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with Cloudflare on removing the website linked to deaths by suicide reported on by the BBC on 24 October 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training NHS staff receive on supporting children with oppositional defiant disorder.

Andrew Stephenson: Individual employers are responsible for ensuring their staff are trained and competent to carry out their role. The standard of training for health care professionals is the responsibility of respective independent statutory regulatory bodies who set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and approve courses. It is also the responsibility of higher education institutions to write and teach the curricula content that enables their students to meet the regulators’ outcome standards. Whilst not all curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all emphasise the skills and approaches a healthcare practitioner must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients, including to support children with oppositional defiant disorder where appropriate.

Surgical Hubs: Staff

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure surgical hubs are fully-staffed with (a) allied health professionals and (b) other staff.

Andrew Stephenson: Action is being taken to increase and support the existing NHS workforce capacity. The Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) surgical hub programme has published workforce guidance designed to assist providers and integrated care systems (ICSs) in planning the workforce requirements for new or expanded surgical hubs. The guidance outlines key enablers for successful workforce recruitment, retention and planning, as well as helpful operational tools such as e-rostering and staff passports. The guidance focuses on surgical and theatre teams as well as on the wider hub team including allied health professionals.

NHS: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, What discussions he has had with the (a) National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and (b) Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on rapid managed access to new medicines with an Innovation Passport under the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department regularly discusses a range of issues with colleagues in the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The Department, NICE and MHRA are currently working together with other Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP) partners to refresh the existing operating model for ILAP to ensure that it is delivering on the ambition to support rapid patient access to transformative new medicines.

Innovative Medicines Fund: Gene Therapies

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Innovative Medicines Fund in increasing access to gene therapies.

Andrew Stephenson: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service in England on whether all new licensed medicines represent a clinically effective and cost-effective use of NHS resources. NICE has been able to recommend several gene therapies for routine funding and they are now routinely available to NHS patients in line with NICE’s recommendations. No gene therapies have been recommended for use through the Innovative Medicines Fund and NICE continues to consider the suitability of medicines for the Fund with individual companies.

Anaesthesia Associates

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the impact of the number of anaesthesia associates on the quality of care.

Andrew Stephenson: The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP), which was published on 30 June 2023, sets out an expansion of new and extended roles to increase the breadth of skills within multidisciplinary teams, better meet the needs of patients, their families and unpaid carers, and enable more care to be delivered in primary and community settings. The National Health Service is determined to continue to invest in training opportunities and the development of career paths for the whole workforce. The LTWP set out that training places for anaesthesia associates (AAs) will increase to 250 by 2028/29. This will support our ambition to increase places to 280 a year by 2031/32.We strongly recommend that employers only consider recruiting AAs who are on the AA Managed Voluntary Register (MVR) which is currently held by the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA). It enables supervisors and employers to check whether an individual is qualified and safe to work in the United Kingdom.

Clinical Trials

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that (a) new clinical trials have the support they need to recruit patients and (b) patients are made aware of clinical trials as a potential way to access new medicines.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR invests in expertise, specialist facilities, a research delivery workforce and support services to support recruitment to clinical trials. The NIHR Clinical Research Facilities support the delivery of early phase trials and the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) and Patient Recruitment Centres support delivery and participation in later phase clinical trials.The NIHR also provides the online platform 'Be Part of Research' which allow users to search for and register interest in clinical trials, matching people to trials of relevance to them.

Innovative Medicines Fund: Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 23 October 2023 to Question 203304 on Innovative Medicines Fund, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) NHS England and (b) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the use of the Fund to facilitate rapid access to advanced therapy medicinal products to treat severe and debilitating diseases.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department regularly discusses a range of issues with colleagues in NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) related to patient access to effective new medicines.NICE has been able to recommend several advanced therapeutic medicinal products for routine NHS use which are now available to NHS patients in line with NICE’s recommendations. No advanced therapeutic medicinal products have been recommended for use through the Innovative Medicines Fund and NICE continues to consider the suitability of medicines for the Fund with individual companies.

Heart Diseases: Health Services

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to increase the specialist cardiology workforce in (a) primary and (b) secondary care.

Andrew Stephenson: There are currently 3,738 full time equivalent doctors working in the specialty of cardiology in the National Health Service in England. This is 666 (21.7%) more than in 2019. Within this there are 1,653 full time equivalent consultants working in the speciality of cardiology, 278 (20.2%) more than in 2019.  The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP), published by NHS England on 30 June 2023, sets out our aim to double the number of medical school places in England to 15,000 places a year by 2031/32. It also sets out how we will work towards this expansion by increasing places by a third, to 10,000 a year, by 2028/29. The LTWP commits to an adequate growth in foundation placement capacity, as those taking up these new places begin to graduate, and a commensurate increase in specialty training places that meets the demands of the NHS in the future. This will substantially increase the potential pipeline for the cardiologist workforce in primary and secondary care.

Psilocybin

Dehenna Davison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to provide access to psilocybin for the treatment of (a) severe depression and (b) other health conditions.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), who have invested £1.1 million in a randomised controlled trial to examine if it is feasible, safe and effective to use psilocybin to treat people with treatment-resistant depression. The NIHR is supporting psilocybin research via the NIHR King’s Clinical Research Facility and the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, where researchers are developing and evaluating the efficacy and safety of psilocybin therapy for use in the National Health Service and other healthcare settings. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including the use of psilocybin in the treatment of severe depression and other chronic conditions.Before any new medicine can be used to treat patients, it must go through a strictly monitored development process. Manufacturers of medicines are expected to conduct research and clinical trials, and medicines must undergo scrutiny by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency which will assess the safety, quality and efficacy of a product before a marketing authorisation (licence) may be granted. For a licence to be granted for a medicine the MHRA must receive a full marketing application from the applicant. In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evaluates all new medicines for clinical and cost effectiveness and makes recommendations about routine funding and use on the NHS. This is the foundation of NHS decisions about routine access and funding of medicines.

Neurology

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to develop a national strategy on progressive neurological conditions.

Andrew Stephenson: On 24 January 2023, the Government announced that it will publish a Major Conditions Strategy covering six conditions including dementia. We published our initial report Major Conditions Strategy: Case for change and our strategic framework on the 14 August 2023. Following publication of the Strategic Framework, we will continue to develop the strategy, informed by the Call for Evidence and ongoing engagement. Our intention is to publish the Major Conditions Strategy in early 2024. On neurological conditions more widely, the NHS England Neurology Transformation Programme has developed, in partnership with stakeholders, a new whole pathway neurology model to support Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including providing care closer to home. A toolkit is being developed to support ICBs to understand and implement this new model. It will provide them with resources and information they will need to drive transformation in their neurology services, as they take on delegated responsibility for commissioning specialised neurology services from April 2024 onwards.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to ensure the NICE Technology Appraisal on Hybrid closed loop systems for managing blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes is adopted by integrated care systems.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department plans to allocate to support the adoption of the NICE Technology Appraisal on Hybrid closed loop systems for managing blood glucose levels for people living with type 1 diabetes.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the diabetes workforce across NHS England in the context of the NICE Technology Appraisal on Hybrid closed loop systems for managing blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes.

Andrew Stephenson: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published final draft guidance on the use of the hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems for managing blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes to the National Health Service in England. The draft guidance is out for comment until 28 November 2023. If there are no appeals, then the final guidance will be published in December 2023.NICE has accepted a funding variation request from NHS England which will see the technology rolled out across England over a five-year period.The introduction of the HCL systems represents a step-change in care for people living with Type 1 diabetes and NHS England is ensuring that the NHS has the staff, training and patient support in place to safely rollout the technology across the country.NHS England is engaging with integrated care boards and other stakeholders as part of the development of the HCL implementation strategy. The strategy will provide advice and guidance to integrated care boards and NHS providers on the phased approach to implementation.

Neurology: Research

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how her Department determines the level of funding to provide for research into progressive neurological conditions.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government is committed to supporting research into progressive neurological conditions, and funds such research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including research into progressive neurological conditions. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Neurology: Research

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has taken steps to invest in research for early detection of neurological conditions.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government is committed to supporting research into the early detection of neurological conditions and funds such research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including research for early detection of neurological conditions. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.The NIHR delivers the Clinical Research Network Neurological Disorders Speciality Group, which supports clinical research in the National Health Service in epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, headache, neuro-muscular disease, neurological infections, and the normal development of the nervous system. By promoting high quality clinical research, the group aims to increase the understanding of the causes of these conditions, and improve the prevention, detection, care and treatment for people suffering from them. The NIHR has also supported studies relating to the early detection of neurological conditions, such as Project Rhapsody which investigated the clinical feasibility of using artificial intelligence-based deep audio and language processing techniques to diagnose neurological and psychiatric diseases.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Drugs

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of supplies of ADHD medication for (a) children and (b) adults.

Andrew Stephenson: We are aware of disruptions to the supply of medicines used for the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While some issues have now been resolved, we know that there are currently disruptions to the supply of some other medicines, primarily driven by issues which have resulted in capacity constraints at key manufacturing sites. These issues are expected to resolve in early 2024. We understand how frustrating and distressing medicine shortages can be and we want to assure patients that we are working intensively with the respective manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the United Kingdom, in the short and long term. We have issued communications to the National Health Service to advise healthcare professionals on management of patients whilst there continue to be disruptions to supplies. Patients are advised to speak to their clinician regarding any concerns they have and to discuss the suitability of treatment with alternative medicines.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Diagnosis

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the early diagnosis of (a) Crohn’s disease and (b) ulcerative colitis.

Andrew Stephenson: To support healthcare professionals in the early diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced a range of guidance, including guidance specifically on the use of faecal calprotectin tests as a way of diagnosing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). NICE’s IBD quality standard outlines that referral to a specialist assessment for suspected IBD should be within four weeks.NICE guidelines represent best practice and health professionals, including general practitioners, and service commissioners are expected to take them fully into account. Guidelines published by NICE are not mandatory and do not replace the judgement of clinicians in determining the most appropriate treatment for individual patients.In addition, NHS England’s Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) specialty report on gastroenterology, published in September 2021, sets out actions and recommendations for the National Health Service to improve patient care and ensure consistency of care across the country.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including the diagnosis and management of IBD.

Hospitals: Plumbing

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department has issued to NHS England on the number of clinical handwashing taps that should be installed per hospital bed.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department has issued to NHS England on the number of showers that should be installed per hospital bed.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department does not provide guidance to NHS England in relation to the number of showers, or the number of clinical handwashing taps, that should be installed per hospital bed.The guidance relating to the number of clinical handwashing taps that should be installed per hospital bed is provided by NHS England in Health Building Notification (HBN 00-09): Infection control in the built environment.

Gastrointestinal System: Diseases

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reinstating the positions of National Clinical Director for (a) gastroenterology and (b) liver disease.

Andrew Stephenson: A National Clinical Director provides clinical advice and leadership on the NHS England Internal Medicine Specialised Services portfolio, which includes specialised gastroenterology and liver disease. A National Speciality Advisor provides clinical advice more specifically to the hepatobiliary and pancreas programme.The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme has invested in clinical leadership in gastroenterology, which is one of its priority workstreams. The programme will be establishing a liver disease programme in 2024/25, including recruiting to a clinical lead role.The National Clinical Director for Cancer is leading work on on-the-spot liver scans, that has already found that around one in ten people in communities visited have advanced liver damage that needs further monitoring or treatment as it could lead to liver cancer.NHS England is funding preventative interventions that support individuals to reduce the harm caused by alcohol use and obesity. To support this work, NHS England has invested in a National Clinical Director for Diabetes & Obesity and a National Speciality Advisor for alcohol dependence.

Bowel Cancer: Screening

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the national bowel screening programme, when he plans to next review that programme; and whether he has plans to raise the acceptable and achievable bowel screening target thresholds in line with breast screening targets.

Andrew Stephenson: The national bowel cancer screening programme in England is currently revising all standards and as a part of this process current thresholds will be reviewed. This review will consider the lowering of the screening age for bowel cancer from 60 to 50 years old.The process for setting standards involves the meeting of experts as well as meeting with stakeholders and interested parties to ensure the standards are evidence based, acceptable and realistic. Full details on how these standards are set is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/principles-of-population-screening/screening-standards

Skin Cancer

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle rates of skin cancer.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government takes the prevention of cancers, including skin cancers, very seriously. The UK Health Security Agency has published guidance to the public on how to stay safe in hot weather including the importance protecting yourself from the sun. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/beat-the-heat-hot-weather-advice/beat-the-heat-staying-safe-in-hot-weather

Air Ambulance Services: Safety

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Air Accidents Investigations Branch's report on the accident to Sikorsky S-92A, G-MCGYat Derriford Hospital, published on 2 November 2023, what steps her Department plan to take to improve the safety of hospital helipad operations.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England is working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to update the existing guidance for Hospital Helicopter Landing Sites. The current guidance is available at the following link:  http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalapplication.aspx?appid=11&mode=detail&id=7240

Gastrointestinal System: Diseases

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the implementation of the (a) actions and (b) recommendations made by the Getting it Right First Time specialty report on gastroenterology in reducing unwarranted variation in care, published on 9 September 2021.

Helen Whately: The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme data for gastroenterology is now available on the Model Health System, helping teams gauge their performance and work to recover services impacted by the pandemic. More than 70 metrics are available, relating to endoscopy, hepatobiliary, luminal gastroenterology, and nutrition services. These enable trusts and system users to see their performance across areas such as emergency admission rates and day case rates.GIRFT is working with the NHS England Endoscopy Transformation Team to carry out visits to teams in the National Health Service regions across England, to encourage networking and quality improvement by utilising updated data metrics. A National Endoscopy Dashboard has been developed and is published on the NHS Futures website.Joint work is ongoing between GIRFT and various specialty societies, such as the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) and Royal College of Physicians (RCP), helping to reinforce and disseminate recommendations from the report. This joint working has also resulted in the development of resources to support with implementation. These include:- The BSG Quality Standards Framework;- RCP Modern Outpatient Care guidance;- GIRFT Clinically-led Outpatient Guidance; and- National audit of ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography) practitioners & ERCP services.GIRFT is also working with 51 trusts as part of a ‘Further Faster’ pilot to deliver rapid clinical transformation with the aim of reducing 52-week waits. The pilot brings together clinicians and operational teams with the challenge of collectively going ‘further and faster’ to transform patient pathways and working to reduce unnecessary appointments and improve access and waiting times for patients.Clinical transformation groups have been established across 16 specialties, and some of the biggest reductions in waiting times to date among Cohort 1, encompassing 25 trusts, have been in gastroenterology. Trusts in the pilot have also been issued with a GIRFT Gastroenterology Further Faster Handbook to support their ongoing improvement.

Cardiovascular Diseases

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to publish the findings of the Government Champion for Personalised Prevention's taskforce on cardiovascular disease.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government is considering the recommendations of the Government Champion for Personalised Prevention. There are currently no plans to publish his report.

Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to publish the next phase of the Major Conditions Strategy.

Andrew Stephenson: Following publication of the Strategic Framework, we will continue to develop the strategy, informed by the call for evidence and ongoing engagement. Our intention is to publish the Major Conditions Strategy in early 2024.

Abiraterone

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to take steps to increase access to Abiraterone.

Andrew Stephenson: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that provides evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. The NHS is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, usually within three months of final guidance. NICE has published guidance recommending abiraterone for the treatment of metastatic hormone-relapsed prostate cancer before chemotherapy is indicated and for castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen. NHS England funds abiraterone for these indications of prostate cancer in line with NICE’s recommendations, making it routinely available for the treatment of eligible patients. Abiraterone is not licensed for the treatment of non-metastatic prostate cancer and has therefore not been appraised by NICE for such use. NHS England is currently considering a clinical policy proposal for abiraterone as a treatment option for patients newly diagnosed with high risk, non-metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, or in whom prostate cancer has relapsed after at least 12 months without treatment. This specific policy proposal is due to be discussed later this month, and if supported by a clinical panel it will progress to stakeholder testing by January 2024.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help increase public awareness of minimally invasive cancer therapies.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department and NHS do not normally undertake public awareness campaigns on treatments and therapies. This is because cancer patients will often have a range of treatment choices available to them and it is important that informed decisions are taken by each patient, in consultation with their treating clinician, following the advice of multi-disciplinary teams that are experts in the management of cancer.Instead, the Department and the NHS’s focus is on early diagnosis, including raising awareness of cancer symptoms and encouraging people to come forward through public awareness campaigns such as ‘Help us, help you’. By encouraging earlier diagnosis, cancer patients will have a wider range of treatment options available to consider, including minimally invasive therapies where appropriate.The adoption of new treatments, including minimally invasive cancer treatments, into the NHS in England is generally the result of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and/or commissioner decisions. For treatments that form part of a prescribed specialised or highly specialised service, NHS England’s specialised commissioning function is responsible for putting in place access. For treatments that are not part of a prescribed specialised service, the responsibility sits with integrated care boards (ICBs). Both NHS England and ICBs are required to put in place access for any treatment that carries a positive recommendation from the Technology Appraisal programme, operated by NICE. Pharmaceutical companies are also able to accelerate access to new treatments and technologies through schemes like the Early Access to Medicines Scheme, Project Orbis or The Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway, enabling patients to benefit from innovative treatments quickly.Looking ahead, from April 2024, ICBs will become the responsible commissioner for a number of specialised services and will want to work with and through local Cancer Alliances to plan and organise access to care that meets national standards. By integrating the commissioning of specialised and non-specialised services, ICBs will be able to join-up care around patient needs and invest in resources where they can have best effect on outcomes.

Lung Diseases: Health Services

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the five-year survival rate for people with pulmonary fibrosis.

Andrew Stephenson: Patients with pulmonary fibrosis are cared for by National Health Service regional specialist Interstitial lung disease services. These are commissioned by NHS England. In order to be referred to a specialist service patients need to be identified in primary and secondary care. Early and accurate diagnosis is a priority for NHS England, and the work to improve this area of clinical care is underway, which should have an impact on reducing delayed diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis.NHS England is responsible for the commissioning of services for interstitial lung disease and funds the cost of anti-fibrotic treatments to treat this disease. Access to these treatments has recently been expanded to patients with non-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis following the publication of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s technology appraisal ‘Nintedanib for treating progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases’ in November 2021.  This is available at the following link:  https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta747

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Drugs

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the volume of medication prescribed to treat ADHD in each year since 2010.

Andrew Stephenson: The information is not held in the requested format. Data relating to the clinical indication for which a prescription is intended is not captured; some items dispensed can be used for a variety of clinical indications.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients have been waiting over 18 months for NHS treatment as of 13 November 2023.

Andrea Leadsom: The latest published NHS England statistics (September 2023) show the total number of patients waiting more than 18 months (78 weeks) was 10,196. Thanks to the incredible work of NHS staff, this figure has reduced by just under 92% since the peak of September 2021.

Surgical Hubs

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 14 March 2023 to Question 162208 on Surgical Hubs, how many of the new surgical hubs are now (a) operational and (b) fully staffed.

Andrew Stephenson: There are now 95 surgical hubs operational. 13 of these are new surgical hubs created with funding from Targeted Investment Fund 2, which was announced as part of the Spending Review 2021.Data on whether new surgical hubs are fully staffed is not held centrally. Staffing of surgical hubs is managed and overseen by the relevant NHS Trust, or Provider Collaborative, that is operating the hub.

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 16 March 2023 to Question 162205 on Health Services: Waiting Lists, what plans she has to ensure that waiting lists for (a) trauma and orthopaedic surgery, (b) rheumatology and (c) other elective treatment do not rise this winter.

Andrew Stephenson: Cutting waiting lists is one of the Prime Minister’s top priorities, and despite disruption from strikes, 18-month waits have been reduced by more than 90% from their peak in September 2021.We recognise that industrial action and winter demands will mean that services are under increased pressure. The National Health Service is prioritising urgent and cancer care and will continue to do its best to maintain appointments and elective procedures wherever possible, including across trauma, orthopaedics and rheumatology. As part of this effort, in November 2023 the government and NHS England agreed to provide £800 million from a combination of reprioritised and new funding to mitigate the costs of industrial action and help patients get the care they need as quickly as possible this winter.Additionally, we are transforming the way the NHS provides elective care by increasing activity through dedicated and protected surgical hubs. This is focused on providing high volume low complexity surgery in six high volume specialties: which includes trauma and orthopaedics (including spinal surgery), as well as other elective treatment areas such as ophthalmology, general surgery, gynaecology, Ear Nose and Throat and urology.Diagnostics also forms an important part of elective care over winter. With only one in five patients on the waiting lists requiring a hospital admission – and most others waiting for scans or checks – we are continuing to expand our diagnostic capacity through the rollout of community diagnostic centres, which allow patients to receive tests close to home.

HIV Infection: Ethnic Groups

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage (a) research and (b) targeted interventions into factors driving HIV transmission within the black community.

Andrea Leadsom: The HIV Action Plan is the cornerstone of our approach in England to drive forward progress and achieve our goal to end new HIV transmissions, AIDS and HIV-related deaths within England by 2030. A key principle of our approach is to ensure that all populations benefit equally from improvements made in HIV outcomes, including black communities. The UK Health Security Agency publishes a yearly monitoring and evaluation report, which sets out key indicators to track progress towards our ambitions in the HIV Action Plan, including by ethnicity, and these data help us to understand where services can be improved and made more accessible to key populations. The next report will be published on 1 December 2023. The Department commissions HIV prevention interventions through our national HIV prevention programme, including targeted work with black African communities, and commission research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health.

Neurology: Health Services

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to help ensure that integrated care boards are (a) ready and (b) supported to commission neurology services identified as suitable for delegation.

Andrea Leadsom: To support assurance of integrated care board (ICB) readiness for taking on greater responsibility for in-scope specialised services, a pre-delegation assessment framework was developed, which set out the criteria that ICBs should meet prior to assuming responsibility for the functions, and builds on the primary care pharmaceutical, general ophthalmic and dental commissioning functions framework. ICBs, with the support of their regional team, undertook a self-assessment against the pre-delegation assessment framework for specialised commissioning. Final decisions will be taken by the NHS England board later this year.The NHS England Neurology Transformation Programme has developed, in partnership with stakeholders, a new whole pathway neurology model to support ICBs to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients including providing care closer to home. A toolkit is being developed to support ICBs to understand and implement this new model. It will provide them with resources and information they will need to drive transformation in their neurology services, as they take on delegated responsibility for commissioning specialised neurology services from April 2024 onwards.

Ophthalmic Services: Special Educational Needs

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will visit an NHS special schools eye care service.

Andrea Leadsom: Ministers regularly consider visits to health and care settings across the country. Any plans to visit specific locations will be notified to hon. Members in advance.

General Practitioners: Mid Bedfordshire

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of (i) GPs and (ii) dentists in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Andrea Leadsom: We are working with NHS England to increase the general practice (GP) workforce in England, including mid Bedfordshire. This includes measures to boost recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession, and encourage them to return to practice. NHS England has made available several new schemes, alongside continued support for existing recruitment and retention schemes for the general practice workforce.To boost recruitment, we have increased the number of GP training places. Last year, we saw 4,032 doctors accepting a place on GP training, up from 2,671 in 2014.  The number of training places will rise to 6,000 by 2031/32, with the first 500 new places available from September 2025.From 1 April 2023, responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. ICBs are responsible for having local processes in place to identify areas of need and determine the priorities for investment.The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published on 30 June 2023, sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. These include a 40% increase to dentistry undergraduate training places by 2031/32.

Dental Services: Mid Bedfordshire

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken to access dental services in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Andrea Leadsom: In July 2022, we announced a package of reforms to improve access to National Health Service dentistry, which outlined the steps we are taking to meet oral health need and increase access to dental care, including in Mid Bedfordshire. The changes that have been implemented include improvements to ensure dentists are remunerated more fairly for more complex work and the introduction of a minimum Units of Dental Activity value. NHS dental activity as measured by Courses of Treatments delivered has increased by 23% between 2021/22 and 2022/23.From 1 April 2023, responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. ICBs are responsible for having local processes in place to identify areas of need and determine the priorities for investment.The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published on 30 June 2023, sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. These include a 40% increase to dentistry undergraduate training places by 2031/32.But we know we need to do more, and that there are some areas where access is particularly problematic. We are working on our Dentistry Recovery Plan which will address how we continue to improve access, particularly for new patients; and how we make NHS work more attractive to ensure NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver more NHS care.

General Practitioners

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve infrastructure for general practices.

Andrea Leadsom: We want general practitioners (GPs) to deliver the best quality of care to patients and will continue our work to assess what is needed to enable them to deliver services effectively in GP premises.The Government has allocated over £4 billion annually in capital funding to systems to invest in maintaining the National Health Service estate and address safety issues. In addition, in our primary care recovery plan we committed to changing local authority planning guidance to raise the profile of primary care facilities when planners are considering how developer contributions and funds from new housing developments are allocated. NHS funding, including for primary care, is determined at each Spending Review.

HIV Infection: Prescription Drugs

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help tackle inequalities in access to PrEP.

Andrea Leadsom: The HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group (ISG) is developing a roadmap to help guide our efforts to improve equitable access, uptake and use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to meet the needs of key populations at significant risk of HIV. This forms part of the group’s work to monitor and drive forward the implementation of the HIV Action Plan. The roadmap is expected to be made available by the HIV Action Plan ISG before the end of the year. HIV PrEP is routinely available in specialist sexual health services throughout the country since March 2020 and we have invested more than £34 million in PrEP in 2020/21 and 2021/22. PrEP funding has been fully included within the public health grant since 2022/23 and funds appointments and testing in sexual health services, whilst NHS England covers the costs of the drug itself. The PrEP monitoring and evaluation framework was published by the UK Health Security Agency in March 2022 and consists of a series of indicators to support local authorities and inform service improvement in PrEP commissioning and delivery, providing local areas with information that can help them address inequalities in uptake of PrEP.

Air Pollution

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve indoor air quality in (a) low-income homes and (b) urban areas.

Andrea Leadsom: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence originally worked with Public Health England in publishing guidance setting out actions that can be taken by different parties to improve air quality in the home. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng149Guidance on understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould has been jointly published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the UK Health Security Agency. This guidance is aimed at all social and private rented housing landlords in England, tenants, owner occupiers and professionals, and we expect it to be of relevance to low-income homes. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/damp-and-mould-understanding-and-addressing-the-health-risks-for-rented-housing-providers/understanding-and-addressing-the-health-risks-of-damp-and-mould-in-the-home--2The Air Quality Strategy published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in April 2023 includes a section on indoor air quality for local authorities to consider in determining local action. In addition, the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 sets out the measures that government will take to improve air quality more generally, including actions focused on urban areas.

Dental Services: Mid Bedfordshire

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children aged four and under were admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction due to decay in Mid Bedfordshire constituency in each of the last 5 years.

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of children aged 11 and under were admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction due to decay in each of the last 5 years in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Andrea Leadsom: This information is not held in the format requested.

Ophthalmic Services: Special Educational Needs

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of children in receipt of the NHS Special Schools Eye Care Service have a history of hospital-based eye care.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of children in receipt of the NHS Special Schools Eye Care Service have (a) a need for glasses and (b) another sight problem.

Andrea Leadsom: From April 2021 to September 2023, there have been 15,858 sight tests completed under the NHS Special Schools Eye Care Service. Of these, 10,785 have no history of hospital-based eye care attached to them, 1,672 are listed as being active in hospital-based eye care and 3,401 have been discharged from hospital.From the 15,858 sight tests, 6,784 were issued with glasses. NHS England does not hold information on other sight problems in this cohort of patients.

Orthopaedics: Health Professions

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 25 April 2023 to Question 180601 on Orthopaedics: Health Professions, what plans she has to (a) support NHS staff retention and (b) ensure vacancies are filled in (i) trauma and orthopaedics and (ii) rheumatology.

Andrew Stephenson: The Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP) sets out how we will meet the workforce challenges of the future. This includes a plan to improve retention and ensure up to 130,000 fewer staff leave the National Health Service by improving culture, leadership and wellbeing. We will build on what we know works, for example ensuring staff can work flexibly, have access to wellbeing support, and work in well-led teams. This will apply to all NHS staff, including those working in trauma, orthopaedics and rheumatology.There are currently record numbers of staff working in the NHS and we are backing the LTWP by investing over £2.4 billion to deliver more doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. This includes doubling the number of medical school training places and increasing adult nursing training places by 92%. The LTWP commits to ensuring that growth in specialty training will be commensurate with the growth in undergraduate medical training to ensure the NHS workforce is able to meet the changing needs of the population in the next 15 years, which will include trauma, orthopaedics and rheumatology.

Palliative Care: Disadvantaged

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure equitable access to palliative and end of life care services.

Helen Whately: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning palliative and end of life services that meet the needs of their population according to local prioritisation and funding. As part of the Health and Care Act 2022, palliative care services were specifically added to the list of services an ICB must commission. This will ensure a more consistent national approach and support commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. NHS England has published statutory guidance for ICBs to support their commissioning of high-quality, accessible palliative and end of life care for all. The guidance addresses health inequalities in palliative and end of life care by improving equity of access and reducing inequity in outcomes and experience. This includes the completion of an Equalities and Health Inequalities Impact Assessment and action plan.

Electronic Cigarettes: Advertising

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing the same restrictions on advertisements for vaping as exist for tobacco products.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing the same restrictions on where people can use vaping products as exist for tobacco products.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government is committed to bringing forward legislative proposals to tackle youth vaping as part of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which was announced in the King’s Speech on 7 November.The Bill will restrict the sale and marketing of vapes to children, including restricting vape flavours, packaging, product presentation and display. Details of the full range of proposals under consideration are set out in the Government consultation “Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping” which closes on 6 December 2023. More information on the consultation is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping

Electronic Cigarettes: Marketing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the marketing of vaping is subject to the same rules smoking tobacco.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that all vaping products are sold in plain packaging.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to remove the range of flavours and colours from vaping products.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government is committed to bringing forward legislative proposals to tackle youth vaping as part of the Tobacco and Vapes bill which was announced in the King’s Speech on 7 November 2023.The Bill will restrict the sale and marketing of vapes to children, including restricting vape flavours, packaging, product presentation and display. Details of the full range of proposals under consideration are set out in the Government consultation, Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping, which closes on 6 December 2023. More information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping

Social Services

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has issued recent guidance to local authorities on the level of social care they should provide before requesting the NHS to take responsibility for patient care.

Helen Whately: No such recent guidance has been issued. The National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care was last updated in 2022, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-framework-for-nhs-continuing-healthcare-and-nhs-funded-nursing-careUnder the Care Act 2014, local authorities must assess any adult where it appears the adult may have needs for care and support. Where an individual has healthcare needs such that it appears they may be eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC), the local authority must refer the individual to the National Health Service, who may assess them. Where an individual has been assessed as having a ‘primary health need’ following a CHC assessment the NHS funds their healthcare and associated social care needs in any non-acute setting. If a person is not eligible for CHC, they may potentially receive NHS-funded Nursing Care or a joint package of health and social care which is funded by both the NHS and the local authority.

Electronic Cigarettes: Health Hazards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of vaping on adult lungs.

Andrea Leadsom: Despite being an effective tool to help adults quit smoking, vaping is not risk free and there are unknown risks on the long-term harms. The Nicotine vaping in England: 2022 evidence update summary report agrees that, while the literature has grown considerably, there is no available evidence related to whether vapes cause respiratory diseases. More information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nicotine-vaping-in-england-2022-evidence-update/nicotine-vaping-in-england-2022-evidence-update-summary#chapter-10-respiratory-diseasesThe Department will continue to closely monitor the evidence base on vapes, including their long-term impact on health and health behaviours.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of penalty charge notices for individuals incorrectly claiming free prescriptions.

Andrea Leadsom: We have made no such assessment. The Department and NHS England have delegated responsibility to the NHS Business Services Authority to carry out checking and recovery procedures on their behalf where claims for exemption from National Health Service prescriptions and dental charges cannot be validated.It is right that the Government takes steps to recoup money for the NHS that is lost to fraud, including using penalty charge notices, so that it can be reinvested into caring for patients.

HIV Infection: Disease Control

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department are taking steps to (a) support community-based organisations that work directly with at-risk populations to provide targeted HIV prevention and support services, (b) encourage research and development on HIV prevention, (c) encourage (i) social media platforms, (ii) influencers and (iii) celebrities to promote accurate information on HIV, safer sex practices and testing, (d) support black-led organisations that focus on HIV prevention, education and support and (e) consult with black-led organisations on HIV prevention strategies.

Andrea Leadsom: HIV Prevention England (HPE) is the national HIV prevention programme for England and is funded at £3.5 million by the Department. The programme aims to support communities who are disproportionately affected by HIV, including gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men and Black African heterosexual men and women. The Department has appointed Terrence Higgins Trust, a national charity who provide services related to sexual heath and HIV, to deliver the programme from 2021 to 2024. HPE delivers a nationally co-ordinated programme of HIV prevention work, including public campaigns such as National HIV Testing Week, that is designed to complement locally commissioned prevention activities in areas of high HIV prevalence. HPE also aims to improve knowledge and understating of HIV transmission and reducing stigma within affected communities.HPE works with a wide range of models and their network of influencers and develops its strategies based on comprehensive data, audience insight and knowledge from local partners within England which ensure a wide range of patient’s voices and experiences are represented including with black-led organisations. Campaigns are promoted using a multi-channel approach including specialist channels relevant to the audiences and targeting via digital platforms and social media.

Electronic Cigarettes: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of vaping on the respiratory health of children under 18.

Andrea Leadsom: The number of children vaping has tripled in the last three years. Due to highly addictive nicotine content and the unknown long-term harms, vaping carries risk of harm and addiction for children.This is why on 4 October 2023, the Prime Minister announced that we will be cracking down on youth vaping, by consulting on measures to reduce the appeal, availability and affordability of vapes to children.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral statement from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on Community Pharmacies, Official Report, Column 450WH, whether his Department's PrEP roadmap will include plans to make PrEP accessible (a) online, (b) in pharmacies and (c) in GPs surgeries.

Andrea Leadsom: The HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group (ISG) is developing a roadmap to help guide our efforts to improve equitable access, uptake and use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to meet the needs of key populations at significant risk of HIV. This forms part of the group’s work to monitor and drive forward the implementation of the HIV Action Plan. HIV PrEP is currently only prescribed at specialist sexual health services, but as we work towards our 2030 ambitions, we will explore opportunities for making it available in a variety of settings. The PrEP roadmap takes into consideration actions needed to improve HIV PrEP access pathways in settings other than specialist sexual health services, including online, general practitioner services and pharmacies, to enable potential future delivery in other settings. The roadmap is expected to be made available by the HIV Action Plan ISG before the end of the year.

Dentistry: Training

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to increase the number of dental school places available in 2024.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department has no current plans to increase the number of dental school places that it funds in 2024. The NHS Long Term Workforce published on 30 June 2023 contained a commitment to expand dentistry training places by 40%, beginning from the 2026 academic year, so that there are over 1,100 places by 2031/32.

HIV Infection: Ethnic Groups

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps to partner with (a) media outlets and (b) influencers to promote information on HIV and safe sex practices within the black community.

Andrea Leadsom: HIV Prevention England (HPE) is the national HIV prevention programme for England and is funded at £3.5 million over three years by the Department, as part of the Government’s HIV Action Plan.The programme aims to support communities who are disproportionately affected by HIV, in particular gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men and Black African heterosexual men and women. The Department has appointed Terrence Higgins Trust, a national charity that provides services related to sexual heath and HIV, to deliver the programme from 2021 to 2024. HPE delivers a nationally co-ordinated programme of HIV prevention work, including public campaigns such as National HIV Testing Week, that is designed to complement locally commissioned prevention activities in areas of high HIV prevalence. HPE also aims to improve knowledge and understating of HIV transmission and reduce stigma within affected communities.HPE works with a wide range of models and their network of influencers and develops its strategies based on comprehensive data, audience insight and knowledge from local partners within England, which ensure a wide range of patient’s voices and experiences are represented including those within the black community. Campaigns are promoted using a multi-channel approach including specialist channels relevant to the audiences and targeting via digital platforms and social media.

HIV Infection: Ethnic Groups

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the comparative effectiveness of different strategies to empower women for the purposes of tackling gender-based disparities within the Black community that may contribute to HIV transmission.

Andrea Leadsom: No formal assessment has been made but it is a key principle of our approach, as set out in the HIV Action Plan, to ensure that all populations benefit equally from improvements made in HIV outcomes, including women in black communities. This includes scaling up HIV testing in targeted, high-risk populations and increasing equitable access to and use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).HIV Prevention England delivers a nationally co-ordinated programme of HIV prevention work designed to complement locally commissioned HIV prevention in areas with high HIV prevalence and for communities at risk of HIV transmission, with a particular focus on Black African women.

HIV Infection: Ethnic Groups

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps to provide healthcare providers with cultural competency training for black individuals seeking HIV-related services.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department has no current plans to provide healthcare providers with cultural competency training. Individual employers providing HIV care are responsible for ensuring their staff are trained and competent to carry out their role. The standard of training for health care professionals is the responsibility of respective independent statutory regulatory bodies who set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and approve courses. It is the responsibility of Higher Education institutions to write and teach the curricula content that enables their students to meet the regulators’ outcome standards.

Homelessness: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that homeless people have access to (a) GP and (b) dental services.

Andrea Leadsom: We know that many people experiencing rough sleeping have health conditions and can struggle to access the support they need. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities works with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, the National Health Service and public health bodies to improve health outcomes for people rough sleeping. This includes committing over £30 million in health interventions as part of the flagship Rough Sleeping Initiative; for example, funding for nurses and general practitioners (GPs) to work with people rough sleeping or in temporary accommodation.Integrated care boards (ICBs), as commissioners for dental and general practice services across England, are responsible for having local processes in place to involve patient groups. Proof of address and identification are not required for someone to register with a GP practice and access care. ICBs undertake oral health needs assessments to identify areas of need and determine the priorities for investment.

Fireworks: Injuries

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of people who have been injured by fireworks in each of the last five years.

Helen Whately: The information requested is not held centrally.

Electronic Cigarettes: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the impact banning vaping for children will have on adults.

Andrea Leadsom: No assessment has been made as it is already illegal to sell vapes to children.

Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve diagnostic processes for foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve awareness of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to produce a Quality Standard in England (QS204) for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) to help the health and care system improve both diagnosis and care of those affected. As well as covering the assessment and diagnosis of FASD, the Quality Standard covers support during pregnancy to improve awareness and prevent the disorder. It was published in March 2022, and is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs204 The UK Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines published in 2016 provide clear advice to women not to drink alcohol if they are planning for a pregnancy or are pregnant, and these are available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a80b7ed40f0b623026951db/UK_CMOs__report.pdf This message is also included in the patient information leaflet recommended for use when giving brief advice to any adult identified as drinking above low risk levels, and in the National Health Service public-facing health information pages. These are available at the following links:https://khub.net/web/phe-national/public-library/-/document_library/v2WsRK3ZlEig/view_file/377334553https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/drinking-alcohol-while-pregnant/ The Department is currently consulting on the first ever UK clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment. The guidelines set out how maternity, alcohol treatment and other healthcare professionals should support women to reduce or stop their alcohol use as quickly and safely as possible, to reduce the ongoing exposure of the foetus to alcohol and the risk and severity of future disability. More information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/uk-clinical-guidelines-for-alcohol-treatment Additionally, the Maternity Disparities Taskforce is currently producing a resource for pre-conception care for women from minority ethnic communities and those living in the most deprived areas. This guidance will include information on drinking in pregnancy.

Smoking: Health Services

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of hospital trusts run specialist in-patient smoking cessation services; and what recent estimate he has made of when all hospital trusts will provided these services.

Andrea Leadsom: As of September 2023, 74% of trusts were delivering an inpatient smoking cessation service. As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, it has been agreed that integrated care boards will determine locally when they achieve a 100% level of trusts providing this service.

Integrated Care Boards

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which service specifications NHS England plans to (a) develop and (b) update before commissioning is delegated to integrated care boards.

Helen Whately: NHS England will only delegate specialised services to integrated care boards (ICBs) following a moderation process. This may mean that ICBs take on responsibility for commissioning specific specialised services at varying points in time. In parallel, NHS England is taking forward work to update service specifications for specialised services. Some specifications will need only minor changes and these will be progressed via a light touch process, whilst others require a deeper review which will take longer to complete.

Novel Foods

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 12 December 2022 to Question 105459 on Food: Research, what progress the Food Standards Agency has made in developing dedicated guidance materials for alternative protein companies developing novel foods and processes; and when he plans to publish that guidance.

Andrea Leadsom: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has prepared an information page for its website that will provide guidance to companies producing cell-cultivated products that wish to apply for regulatory approval. This will be published before the end of November 2023. This page will outline information about the FSA’s regulated product application service, the regulations that apply to these cell-cultivated products, and information about labelling implications. Alongside this, the FSA has been providing pre-application support to businesses on an individual basis due to the novelty and complexity of this technology. This one-to-one engagement with business and industry has helped to inform and tailor our online guidance which will be available shortly. The FSA is also considering producing additional regulatory guidance for alternative protein producers as part of its wider aim to support business innovation whilst ensuring that food is safe and what it says it is. In addition to this, a new UK Research and Innovation project was announced on 9 November 2023 that will work on new safety rules for the United States of America, Singapore, United Kingdom and the European Union with a focus on creating standards for cell-cultivated protein.

Novel Foods: Regulation

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's food strategy white paper, published on June 2022, what steps the Food Standards Agency is taking to help food producers conduct (a) safe and (b) limited tastings of novel food products.

Andrea Leadsom: Under retained EU Regulation 2015/2283, a novel food is only deemed safe to be placed on the market in Great Britain after the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has processed an application for the authorisation of the novel food. For foods that are still in the research and development phase prior to authorisation guidance issued by the FSA Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes in 2002 confirms that taste trials are permitted as long as they are not conducted for marketing or advertising purposes.

General Practitioners: Finance

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the share of NHS funding for general practice to shift care into the community.

Andrea Leadsom: The NHS Long Term Plan committed to increase investment in primary medical and community health services as a share of the planned total national revenue spend in the National Health Service across the five years from 2019/20 to 2023/24. Investment in general practice has grown in each of the last five years for which we have published the investment in general practice report. In 2021/22, which is the latest year for which data is available, we saw a 7.14% growth in investment compared with 2020/21. The full report is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/investment-in-general-practice-in-england-17-18-to-21-22/ The Delivery Plan For Recovering Access to Primary Care, published by NHS England on 9 May 2023, recognised the benefits of moving care closer to home and supported the vision set out in Dr Claire Fuller’s Stocktake on Next steps For Integrating Primary Care. This is backed by a major new investment into primary care services, with up to £645 million over two years to expand the services offered by community pharmacies, helping to take the pressure off general practitioners and providing patients with more options for care.

Novel Foods: Regulation

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 20 of his Department's food strategy white paper, published on June 2022, what his planned timetable is for when the Food Standards Agency will review the novel foods regulatory framework.

Andrea Leadsom: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is committed to maintaining the United Kingdom’s high standards of food and feed safety whilst also working hard to support innovation across the food system. The FSA has a programme of continuous improvement and reform that has been in place since the launch of the Regulated Products Service in January 2021. In June, the FSA published a summary of the findings of the review of the Novel Foods Regulatory Framework. Following this review, the FSA has focused resource to look at potential future options for more fundamental reform of the food and feed regulatory system. This has included surveying stakeholders across all regulated product regimes to gain their views on potential reforms. The FSA is in the process of analysing this information to develop reform plans and will provide further detail on these, including timetables, at the public FSA Board meetings in the future.

Dental Services: Finance

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 13 September 2023 to Question 198352 on Dental Services: Cornwall, how funding recovered from NHS dentists may be spent by his Department.

Andrea Leadsom: NHS England has provided guidance for integrated care boards (ICBs) that requires dental funding to be ringfenced, with any unused resources re-directed to improve National Health Service dental access in the first instance. A schedule setting out the dental ringfence has been issued to ICBs. NHS England’s 2023/24 revenue finance and contracting guidance, which provides more detail, is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2023-24-revenue-finance-and-contracting-guidance/

Cabinet Office

Public Sector Fraud Authority

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 19 of the Public Sector Fraud Authority Annual Report for 2022-23, published on 13 November 2023, how many investigations by public sector organisations arising from referrals received from the Covid Fraud Hotline by the Public Sector Fraud Authority's Intelligence Hub are ongoing.

Alex Burghart: 5,124 referrals were made to the COVID Fraud Hotline during its time being operational from October 2020 through to the end of June 2023.All 5,124 of these referrals were disseminated to the relevant department(s) or organisation(s) for consideration as of the end of June 2023.Once Hotline intelligence is forwarded, the decision to investigate sits with the relevant organisation and the decision to charge rests with the Crown Prosecution Service.As of October 2023 there were 20 Operations at various stages of the investigative process with the National Investigation Service (NATIS). As of 31/3/23 a further 83 intelligence reports originating from a C-19 Hotline submission were being investigated by the Insolvency Service, with the majority being focused on insolvent investigations and dissolved investigations.Sector Fraud Authority established last year works with stakeholders to track outcomes linked to the Hotline intelligence.The value of intelligence is not only for progressing prosecutions. The Hotline intelligence has helped us better understand the threat across Government and informed the wider intelligence picture across public sector organisations. It has also contributed to media campaigns providing guidance in relation to Covid Pass fraud, vaccine fraud and phishing.

Economic Situation and National Security: China

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament report entitled China, published on 13 July 2023, what recent steps his Department has taken to protect (a) the economy and (b) national security from Chinese interference.

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had recent discussions with the Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee on implementing the Committee's recommendations in its report entitled China, published on 13 July 2023.

Alex Burghart: The government’s approach to China is guided by three pillars: strengthening our national security protections, aligning and cooperating with our partners, and engaging where it is consistent with our interest. Recent steps to strengthen our national security protections include: scrutiny of foreign investment in the UK under the National Security and Investment Act and passing the National Security Act, which overhauls the United Kingdom’s espionage laws. The government greatly values the independent oversight provided by the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC). The Cabinet Office regularly engages with the Committee to support their oversight, including on China, and to provide updates on our response to policy recommendations found in a wide range of ISC reports. The steps the government has taken to implement recommendations in the China report can be found in the Government Response to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament Report ‘China’: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-isc-china-report

Refugees: Afghanistan

Luke Pollard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Prime Minister asked him to review the Afghan resettlement schemes. .

Johnny Mercer: Since asking me to lead on convening departments to increase our support to Afghans who have been resettled in the UK to access independent accommodation in February 2023, in October this year the Prime Minister further tasked me with coordinating cross government support for departments responsible for relocating eligible Afghans and their families under the ARAP and ACRS schemes.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Luke Pollard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 8 November 2023 to an Urgent Question on Pakistan: Evacuation of Afghans by the Minister for Veterans Affairs, Official Report, column 117, on what date he visited each hotel housing Afghans.

Johnny Mercer: From April 2023, my team of advisors and I travelled extensively across the country to visit bridging hotels to meet Afghan families and officials from across Central and Local Government who supported this cohort, ahead of their move into long-term settled accommodation. That effort continues to this day.

Heart Diseases: Death

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people who died in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023 who (i) had cardiac arrest recorded as the main cause of death and (ii) did not have a defibrillator used.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 8 November is attached. UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 110.6KB)

Department for Business and Trade

Overseas Investment: Morocco and Western Sahara

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to encourage British businesses to invest in (a) green energy, (b) hydrogen and (c) other sustainable initiatives in (i) the Western Sahara and (ii) Morocco.

Greg Hands: The UK works closely with Morocco to maximise cooperation in several areas, including in trade and investment. The UK-Morocco Association Agreement facilitates this trading relationship, which has grown significantly since entry into force in January 2021. The Department of Business and Trade frequently engages its Moroccan counterparts to promote and support green investment into Morocco. The UK and Morocco are co-leads on the Power Breakthrough, which aims to make clean power the most affordable and reliable option for all countries by 2030. With regard to Western Sahara, I refer my hon. Friend to my response to Question 1500.

Overseas Investment: Western Sahara

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Appeal Court decision in Western Sahara Campaign UK v Secretary of State for International Trade and Anor, what steps she is taking to encourage businesses to explore investment opportunities in the Western Sahara.

Greg Hands: HM Government does not provide legal advice to private companies and individuals in relation to their commercial activities. It is therefore for companies to take their own decisions on whether to do business in Western Sahara, as elsewhere.

Department for Business and Trade: China

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether senior officials from her Department have travelled to China since January 2019.

Greg Hands: Senior officials have travelled to China since January 2019.

Bounce Back Loan Scheme: Debts

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to provide support to businesses who are unable to make repayments on their Bounce Back loans.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government has always been clear that businesses are expected to make every effort to repay their Bounce Back Loans (BBLs). However, the Government also recognises that some borrowers might require greater flexibility and more time to make their repayments. That is why, for BBLs, the then Chancellor introduced ‘Pay as You Grow’ measures, allowing borrowers to tailor repayments to their individual circumstances. ‘Pay as You Grow’ provides borrowers with a range of options to manage their repayments flexibly. A business facing difficulty making BBLs repayments should contact their lender in the first instance to discuss their options.

Department for Education

Universities: Antisemitism and Islamophobia

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of provisions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of (a) Jewish and (b) Muslim students on university campuses.

Robert Halfon: It has been deeply concerning to see the rises both in antisemitism and in Islamophobia since the 7 October terrorist attacks against Israel. Universities should be welcoming and inclusive environments. Higher education providers have a responsibility to take a zero-tolerance approach to any form of racial or religious harassment. They have clear responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to adopt robust policies and procedures that enable them to investigate and swiftly address reports of racism.Given the particularly severe impact on Jewish students, the Secretary of State and I wrote to all schools, colleges and universities, urging them to respond swiftly to hate-related incidents and actively reassure Jewish students that that they can study without fear of harassment or intimidation. On 5 November we published a five-point plan detailing further action to protect Jewish students in higher education, the details of the plan can be found here: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/05/how-were-protecting-jewish-students-on-university-campuses/.The department continues to engage both with Jewish and with Muslim groups, including the Union of Jewish Students and Tell MAMA, and actively monitors incidents affecting both communities. The department also welcomes the guidance produced by Universities UK, which focuses on tackling Islamophobia: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/what-we-do/policy-and-research/publications/tackling-islamophobia-and-anti-muslim.The department has reminded providers of their obligations under the Prevent duty, where they should be working to prevent people from being drawn into or supporting terrorism. Department officials have assessed evidence of antisemitism and racial hatred linked to incidents at English universities. There is an online "Reporting Extremism" form where members of the public can raise concerns to the Department directly. Where concerns arise, officials have reached out to relevant universities to understand what actions they have taken, including reporting issues to the police where appropriate.

Extended Services

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Spring Budget 2023, how many schools have participated in the wraparound pathfinder scheme in 2023; and if she will make a statement.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have introduced childcare (a) before and (b) after the school day as a result of the pathfinderscheme.

David Johnston: As the programme is yet to launch, the department is unable to provide data about participation in the programme.In the Spring Budget 2023, the Chancellor announced a transformative set of childcare reforms aimed at increasing labour market participation. This included the largest ever investment in childcare, including expansions of early years entitlements and wraparound childcare.The government is investing £289 million in a new wraparound childcare programme which will support local authorities to work with primary schools and providers, including childminders, to set up and deliver more wraparound childcare before and after school in the term time. The government’s ambition is for all parents of primary school children who need it, to access childcare in their local area from 8am to 6pm.Parents should expect to see an expansion in the availability of wraparound childcare from September 2024, with every parent who needs it able to access term-time wraparound childcare by September 2026. Programme funding allocations for local authorities were announced on 27 October 2023.

Schools: Air Conditioning

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of installing HEPA filters in early years educational settings.

David Johnston: To date, department officials are not aware of any studies looking at the impact of using air conditioning units (ACU) specifically in early years settings. However, there is strong evidence from laboratory studies of the efficacy of high-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) filtration technology at removing airborne viruses and particulate matter from the air. In addition, department officials sit on the working group for a project looking at the implications and potential benefits of fitting primary schools with air cleaning technology: the Bradford classroom air cleaning technology (class-ACT) trial. This was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and managed through the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The study is run from the Centre for Applied Education Research which is based at the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK. The trial has concluded and the academic leads intend to publish the results in a peer-reviewed journal in due course.The department recognises that good ventilation helps to create a healthy indoor environment for staff and students. Letting fresh air into indoor spaces can help remove air that contains virus particles which reduces the risk of respiratory illness, as well as improving pupils’ alertness and concentration.Between September 2021 and April 2023, the department delivered over 700,000 CO2 monitors to over 45,000 state-funded settings, including early years, further education, childminders operating in groups of four or more, and children’s homes that offer places to 6 or more. This means that all eligible settings now have an assigned CO2 monitor for every teaching and childcare space to help them manage their ventilation.For settings that identified spaces with sustained high CO2 readings (1500ppm or more) through their monitors, an application process was made available for department-funded ACUs that utilise HEPA technology. This policy was informed by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies’ (SAGE) Environmental Modelling Group, which advises that ACUs have limited benefit in spaces that are already adequately ventilated and should only be considered where the ventilation is inadequate and cannot be easily improved. The department has subsequently delivered over 9,000 ACUs to over 1,300 settings between January 2022 and April 2023. This included eligible early years settings.

Students: Mid Bedfordshire

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an estimate of the median level of student debt in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Robert Halfon: The median debt of full-time undergraduate borrowers funded by student finance England, whose postcode is within the Mid Bedfordshire constituency, and who entered repayment within the last 5 years, is £43,772.37. The median debt includes tuition fees and maintenance loans.The borrower’s postcode refers to the current contact or home address supplied by the borrower to the Student Loans Company.Full-time undergraduate higher education students starting in the academic year 2022/23 are expected to borrow on average £42,100 over the course of their studies. More information and a link to the publication can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england.

Free School Meals

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the eligibility threshold for means-tested free school meals for Universal Credit recipients in line with (a) inflation and (b) national living wage increases.

Robert Halfon: Over 2 million pupils are currently eligible for benefits based free school meals (FSM). Close to 1.3 million additional infants receive free and nutritious meals under the Universal Infant Free School Meal (UIFSM) policy.The department believes that the current eligibility threshold level, which enables pupils in low income households to benefit from FSM while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one. The department does not have plans to change the current eligibility conditions for FSM. The department continues to keep eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them. The department also continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other government departments to provide support to disadvantaged families.

Teachers: Qualifications

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) guidance and (b) other support her Department provides to teachers who qualified in other countries to begin teaching in the UK.

Robert Halfon: The Department provides comprehensive guidance for overseas qualified teachers about teaching in England, including the requirements and support available, through the Get Into Teaching website.Since February 2023, highly qualified teachers with qualifications from an increased number of countries and regions have been able to use the Department’s new digital service, Apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England, to apply for QTS. QTS is a legal requirement to teach in many English schools and is considered desirable for teachers in the majority of schools in England.The Department is piloting the international relocation payment (IRP). This is a small scale pilot offering a single one off payment of £10,000 to non-UK trainees and teachers of languages and physics in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. The payment is a contribution towards the costs they face in moving to England to teach or train, which include visas, the immigration health surcharge and other relocation expenses. The payment is only payable once someone has started their job or training course in England.Overseas qualified teachers with QTS are also eligible for support through the Department’s Return to Teaching advisor service. This provides one to one support with finding jobs, the application process and preparing for interviews.

Driving: Curriculum

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will amend the national curriculum to include teaching on the dangers of (a) road collisions, (b) drink-driving and (c) driving under the influence of drugs.

Robert Halfon: From September 2020 in England, Relationships Education became compulsory for all primary school aged pupils, Relationships and Sex Education compulsory for all secondary school aged pupils, and Health Education compulsory for all pupils in state funded schools.The statutory guidance for Health Education sets out the following content on drugs, alongside drug education as a statutory subject in maintained schools as part of the National Curriculum for science in Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3. Primary education guidance covers the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and associated risks, including smoking, alcohol use and drug taking. Secondary education guidance builds on the primary areas and additionally covers the associated legal and psychological risks of using drugs.In Health Education, there is a strong focus on mental wellbeing, including a recognition that mental wellbeing and physical health are linked. This includes teaching about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, including drug misuse. The Department has published non statutory implementation guidance titled ‘Plan your Relationships, Sex and Health Education Curriculum’, alongside teacher training materials. Further information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/plan-your-relationships-sex-and-health-curriculum.The Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) statutory guidance states that, in both primary and secondary school, pupils should be taught the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and associated risks, including smoking, alcohol use, and drug taking. A link to this guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.To support schools to deliver this content effectively, the Department published a suite of teacher training modules, including one on drugs, alcohol and tobacco, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-training-drugs-alcohol-and-tobacco.Personal safety, which would include road safety, is currently a part of the Personal, Social, Health and Economic curriculum, but this subject is not mandatory in schools.The Department will be launching a public consultation by the end of this year on draft revised RSHE guidance, so that interested parties can contribute their comments and ideas, including the impact of drink driving and drug taking on driving and road safety generally. The Department intends to publish final guidance in 2024.

Financial Services: Curriculum

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including personal financial education as a subject in the National Curriculum.

Robert Halfon: Financial education already forms a compulsory part of the National Curriculum for mathematics at Key Stages 1 to 4 and citizenship at Key Stages 3 and 4, which together cover important financial topics including personal budgeting, saving for the future, managing credit and debt, and calculating interest. The National Curriculum is compulsory for maintained schools. Academies must teach a broad and balanced curriculum, including mathematics.My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister recently announced more funding for secondary mathematics, and that mathematics will be studied by all 16 to 18 year olds as part of the new Advanced British Standard qualification.As with all aspects of the curriculum, schools have flexibility over how they deliver financial education, so they can develop an integrated approach that is sensitive to the needs and background of their pupils.There is a wide range of support for financial education. The Money and Pensions Service has published guidance, setting out how schools can improve the financial education they deliver, and signposting to services and resources that can help. The guidance is available at: https://maps.org.uk/en/publications/research/2021/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england.Talk Money Week, which is running from 6 to 10 November, is focused on this year’s campaign ‘Do One Thing’ to help improve financial wellbeing. The Talk Money Week 2023 Toolkit for Schools includes a dedicated pack of information and resources to help schools promote the financial wellbeing of their pupils and students, during Talk Money Week and beyond. The toolkit is available at: https://maps.org.uk/en/our-work/talk-money-week#Download-the-Toolkit-for-Schools.The Department’s national network of 40 Maths Hubs also supports schools to improve their mathematics teaching, including financial content in the mathematics curriculum, based on best practice from East Asia.The Oak National Academy, which became an independent Arm’s Length Body in September 2022, will provide adaptable, optional and free support for schools to reduce teacher workload and enable schools to provide a high quality curriculum. New Oak curriculum materials, including for mathematics, will start to be available from autumn 2023, with full curriculum packages available by summer 2024. Oak’s next phase of procurement of curriculum resources is expected to launch in late 2023 and will include citizenship.

Students: Loans

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider the potential merits of introducing a minimum requirement to qualify for student loans of (a) grades EEE at A-level and (b) equivalent grades at (i) T-level and (ii) Level 3 Diploma.

Robert Halfon: The government consulted on whether there was a case, in principle, for a Minimum Eligibility Requirement for access to student finance for degree-level study. In the Higher Education (HE) Reform policy statement of 17 July, the department made an announcement to not proceed with such a requirement at this time.The government is delivering on its manifesto commitment to drive up quality and tackle pockets of poor provision in the HE sector. The department has worked with the Office for Students (OfS) to set stringent minimum thresholds for student outcomes and the OfS has introduced face to face investigations where there is a risk of breach of these expectations.The department wants to see recruitment limits used to reduce the growth of low-quality courses, and graduate earnings to be part of the quality regime, so that students can be confident in the quality of the course that they have chosen.

Schools: Bullying

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which organisations (a) have received funding from her Department to tackle bullying in schools and colleges since 2021 and (b) will receive such funding in the next 12 months.

Robert Halfon: The Department is providing over £3 million of funding, between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2024, to five anti bullying organisations to support schools across the country to tackle bullying. These five organisations are the Anti bullying Alliance, the Anne Frank Trust, Diana Award, Diversity Role Models and EqualiTeach.Current grant agreements come to an end in March 2024 and the funding and approach for the 2024/25 financial year will be confirmed in due course.

Schools: Computers

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued recent guidance to schools on technical standards for computer equipment.

Robert Halfon: The Department is developing a core set of digital and technology standards to support schools and colleges to understand their digital environment and know what technology they should have in place. These standards can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/meeting-digital-and-technology-standards-in-schools-and-colleges.The Department has released standards on connectivity, cyber security, filtering and monitoring, cloud, and servers and storage. These will help schools save money and ensure secure teaching environments. The Department is currently working with technical experts, schools and colleges to develop standards on devices, accessibility and IT governance which is planned to be published by early 2024.

Apprentices: Disability

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the number of disabled people entering into apprenticeships.

Robert Halfon: Apprenticeships are available for all people of all backgrounds, including people with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LDD), allowing them to start, progress or to re-train in a variety of industries.In recent years, the department has seen an improved representation of people who have declared LDD starting apprenticeships, and the department wants this to continue. The department has improved its Find an Apprenticeship service to allow people to identify Disability Confident Employers offering opportunities and ensuring apprenticeships are available to all.In partnership with the Disability Rights UK, the department launched a Disabled Apprentice Network to provide insight and evidence on how to attract and retain disabled people into apprenticeships. Disability Rights UK published a report to support employers to improve the diversity of their apprenticeship programmes, whilst also highlighting the barriers people may face when undertaking an apprenticeship. In this report, the apprentices identified the opportunity to build confidence, skills and networks with people with different experiences and gain paid work experience as the key points which influenced them towards undertaking an apprenticeship.To ensure that more people who declare LDD feel confident to undertake apprenticeships, the department has lowered the English and mathematics requirements to apprenticeships for a defined group of individuals with LDD. The department has also introduced British Sign Language (BSL) as an alternative to English Functional Skills for those who have BSL as their first language.The department is conducting a pilot to consider the evidence used to determine eligibility for flexibilities to existing English and mathematics requirements for apprentices with an LDD. Through the pilot it is anticipated that the department will improve the process by which apprentices with an LDD who require the flexibilities are able to access these.The department is also conducting a pilot to boost the mentoring offer of providers for apprentices with an LDD. This pilot will test whether offering expert support, advice and training to the people providing mentoring to LDD apprentices results in a positive impact on the cohort, both in terms of satisfaction, as well as broader areas such as retention and achievement for these apprentices.Furthermore, the department makes £1,000 payments to employers and providers for taking on 16 to 18 year olds, or those aged 19 to 24 with an Education, Health and Care Plan, and also offers £150 per month to help providers make reasonable adjustments for eligible apprentices with special educational needs. Providers can claim additional funding if the cost of support exceeds this rate.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Technology

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on research on (a) hybrid propulsion and (b) power generation in the (i) 2020-21, (ii) 2021-22 and (iii) 2022-23 financial years.

James Cartlidge: Defence Science and Technology invests 1.2% of the defence budget (~£440 million) in next generation and generation after next technologies. Defence will invest over £6.6 billion in R&D over this Spending Review period.The Ministry of Defence is unable to disclose per year breakdown of research spend due to commercial and national security sensitivities. It is also not possible to provide specific details on spend per year per technology owing to the nature of these programmes and the Department's federated approach to capability development.

Ministry of Defence: Technology

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on (a) robotics, (b) automation and (c) human-machine teaming for land domain system technologies in the (i) 2019-20, (ii) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22 and (d) 2022-23 financial years.

James Cartlidge: Robotics, Automation and Human-Machine Teaming are all enabling technologies and are not a capability in and of themselves.. It is therefore not possible to provide figures for investment in each individual technology across the Department - they may be used in part of a project or programme but not accounted separately.

Ministry of Defence: Artificial Intelligence

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on artificial intelligence in each financial year since 2019-20.

James Cartlidge: The Defence AI Centre is currently monitoring over 250 AI-enabled projects across Ministry of Defence. However, AI is a general-purpose enabling technology, not a capability in and of itself. The Department's overall spend is therefore difficult to calculate as cost data is typically integrated within broader programme costs.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 6 September 2023 to Question 196987 on Military Aircraft: Helicopters, what plans he has for the future of the five Airbus H135 aircraft previously procured for Project MATCHA.

James Cartlidge: The Secretary of State for Defence authorised the Defence Equipment Sales Authority to progress a government-to-government sale for the helicopters; the details of which are currently commercially sensitive. Once a sale has been completed a mutually agreed communication will be made between the Ministry of Defence and our customer.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) assessed quality banding and (b) location is of the service family accommodation properties his Department offered to house Afghan people leaving Pakistan.

James Cartlidge: All Service Family Accommodation properties offered by MOD to house Afghan people leaving Pakistan, or any other country, meet or exceed the Government’s Decent Homes standard. The location of the properties is shown in the table below: Local AuthorityAngusArgyll and Bute CouncilAshfield District CouncilAyreshireBirmingham City CouncilBreckland CouncilBuckinghamshireCentral BedfordshireCherwell District CouncilCheshire West and Chester CouncilCity of EdinburghCornwall CouncilDover District CouncilDumfries & AnnanEast HantsEast Riding of Yorkshire CouncilEssex County CouncilFarehamFife CouncilFolkestone & Hythe District CouncilGedling Borough CouncilGloucesterGosport Borough CouncilGuildford Borough CouncilInverness-shireIsle of Anglesey County CouncilLeicester City CouncilLisburn and Castlereagh City CouncilLondon Borough of HillingdonLondon Borough of HounslowMedway CouncilMelton Borough CouncilMidlothian CouncilNorth DevonNorth Tyneside CouncilNorth Yorkshire County CouncilPembrokeshire County CouncilPeterborough City CouncilPortsmouth City CouncilPreston City CouncilRoyal Borough of GreenwichRoyal Borough of KingstonRushmore Borough CouncilRutlandShropshire CouncilSomerset West & Taunton District CouncilSouth Hams District CouncilSouth Somerset District CouncilStirling CouncilStratford Upon AvonTelford & WrekinVale of GlamorganVale of White HorseWatford Borough CouncilWest Berkshire CouncilWest Suffolk District CouncilWiltshire CouncilWoking Borough CouncilWokingham

Kenya: Theft

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential connection between the burglary at Mwangi Macharia's home in Nairobi on 9 November 2023 and litigation against the British army by the African Centre for Corrective and Preventative Action.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I was saddened to hear of the burglary conducted against Mr Macharia and his family, and wish him a swift recovery. I note this incident has been reported to the police in Kenya for investigation. The jurisdiction for this investigation lies with the Kenyan Authorities. It would be inappropriate for UK MOD to make any assessment of potential motives.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans were consulted as part of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Quinquennial Review 2022-23.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) compensates for any injury, illness or death which was caused by service on or after 6 April 2005. Both currently Serving personnel and veterans are eligible to apply. The Ministry of Defence is committed to ensuring that the AFCS delivers for those who make a claim and there are mechanisms of assessment and accountability in place to ensure that this is the case. The AFCS Quinquennial Review (QQR) takes place every five years to ensure the AFCS remains fit for purpose and to identify opportunities for improvement. The full report can be found at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/quinquennial-review-of-the-armed-forces-compensation-scheme-2023-headline-findings-and-progress-report Annex B of the AFCS QQR report sets out a list of stakeholder organisations, groups and individuals consulted. There were a total of 105 respondents, including eight AFCS recipients as well as representatives from charities such as Blesma, COBSEO and the Royal British Legion amongst others.

African Centre for Corrective and Preventive Action

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department monitors any members of the African Centre for Corrective and Preventative Action in Kenya.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I confirm that no such monitoring has taken place.

Prime Minister: Sloane Helicopters

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 12 September 2023 to Question 197420 on Aviation: Prime Minister, which contract covered the provision of rotary wing command air transport by Sloane Helicopters for the Prime Minister’s journeys to and from RAF Coningsby on 8 November 2023.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave her to Question 117 on 15 November 2023.Sloane Helicopters: Clacton-on-Sea (docx, 14.7KB)

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times has (a) he and (b) his predecessor has met counterparts from countries participating in the International Fund for Ukraine to discuss the fund since its introduction.

James Heappey: The Secretary of State for Defence regularly discusses the provision of support to Ukraine with international partners, including his counterparts on the Executive Panel of the International Fund for Ukraine, as they meet frequently at the US-led Ukraine Defence Contact Group, in NATO and in other international fora. Such meetings allow for discussions on the operation of the International Fund for Ukraine and enhance bilateral and multilateral cooperation in addressing Ukraine's needs.

Question

Sarah Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) reserve and (b) regular service personnel are on a waiting list for orthopaedic surgery.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is not responsible for reserves healthcare, except when mobilised and does not hold data on how many reserve service personnel are awaiting orthopaedic surgery. For regular service personnel, the number on a waiting list for the combined trauma and orthopaedic service is 1,447 in England. This figure is provided by NHS England and is the most recent data held by MOD. This figure does not include the number of regular Service personnel who have been referred through the fast-track contract with a private healthcare provider. The number of regular Service personnel currently on a waiting list for orthopaedic surgery is 18 in Scotland. This includes five on NHS waiting lists and 13 who have been referred through the fast-track contract with a private healthcare provider. In Northern Ireland the number of regular service personnel currently on a waiting list for orthopaedic surgery is six. Wales has a total of seven regular service personnel awaiting orthopaedic surgery or an orthopaedic appointment.

USA: Rendition

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK airports were used by the US military for rendition flights for the transfer of terrorist suspects.

James Heappey: There were two previously declared incidents relating to the US in 2002, where British Territory was used for this purpose. The transition of two detainees through Diego Garcia was reported to Parliament by the then Foreign Secretary in February 2008. Since those events in 2002 the UK has not authorised any other instances of other countries rendering terrorism suspects through the territorial land, air or seas of the UK or our overseas territories.

Prime Minister: Aviation

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times the Prime Minister requested to use military air transport in the last 12 months.

James Cartlidge: It has been the practice of successive Administrations not to publish granular information relating to the official movements of protected individuals and those accompanying them within the UK.

Trade Unions

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what dates the Minister for Defence Procurement has met representatives of (a) GMB, (b) Unite the union, (c) Prospect and (d) CSEU since his appointment on 21 April 2023.

James Cartlidge: As Ministry of Defence (MOD) procurement contracts are overwhelmingly with primes and SMEs, direct responsibility for employment relations in the defence industrial sector typically sits with private employers. In respect of the MOD workforce, I recently held a ‘Town Hall’ meeting at DE&S in Abbeywood to discuss psychological safety and other matters relating to the workplace, and will continue to engage with the full spectrum of partners from industry, and within the Defence Enterprise.

Defence: New Businesses

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the number of defence technology start-ups that have been established in the UK since 2010; and what steps he is taking to support the establishment of defence technology start-up companies.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold data on the exact number of defence start-up companies. In 2021-22 MOD spent £5.715 billion with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) directly and indirectly, which represents an increase from £4.488 billion in 2020-21. We continue to work closely with defence SMEs through the multiple initiatives outlined in the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy and SME Action Plan. Our support to SMEs includes Defence Innovation Loans made available by the Defence and Security Accelerator, DASA, to help SMEs commercialise mature defence solutions; seven loans have been awarded since 2021, totalling £5.3 million. Also, since 2010, MOD’s Ploughshare Innovations Ltd has supported 5 new start-ups spun out from government intellectual property. The Ploughshare Accelerator Fund enables start-ups to secure development funding to bring revolutionary technologies to market. And the Defence science and technology laboratory’s Newcastle site supports defence technology start-up companies in the region through its AI and data science related research.

Ministry of Defence: Minimum Wage

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of staff employed directly by his Department are paid the minimum wage.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff members employed by his Department are paid the minimum wage.

Dr Andrew Murrison: For civilian staff, basing results on the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates published on the GOV.UK website, across Ministry of Defence (MOD) (including DE&S and SDA), there are 16 staff members who are aged 23 or over and receive a salary that equates to exactly £10.42 per hour. This represents a proportion of 0.03% of the MOD population. There are no civilian employeess in any of the other age bandings (21-22, 18-20, Under 18, Apprentices) who are on or below the published hourly rates on the GOV.UK website.

Israel Defense Forces: British Nationals Abroad

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will ask his Israeli counterpart how many (a) UK citizens and (b) dual nationals are members of the Israeli Defence Force.

James Heappey: British dual nationals have the right to serve in the legitimately recognised armed forces of the country of their other nationality. We do not track the number of dual nationals that choose to take up this right, or UK citizens who travel against FCDO advice to enlist in the Israeli Defence Force.

Cyprus and Israel: Military Bases

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there are Israeli military personnel deployed on the British Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus.

James Heappey: No.

Ministry of Defence: China

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether senior officials from his Department have travelled to China since January 2019.

James Heappey: Senior officials from the Ministry of Defence have travelled to China to participate in discussions and international fora during the period specified.As outlined in the Integrated Review Refresh 2023, the UK will engage directly with China, bilaterally and in international fora to preserve and create space for open, constructive, predictable and stable relations that reflect China's importance in world affairs.

USA: Military Bases

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where the US maintains air bases in the UK; and for what purpose each base exists.

James Heappey: The United States Visiting Forces are present in the UK at the invitation of HM Government. Bases are made available to the United States under the terms of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement and Visiting Forces Act. The continued presence of United States military forces in the UK forms an important part of the United States' on-going wider commitment to NATO and the security of Europe, with bases at RAF Alconbury, RAF Molesworth, RAF Croughton, RAF Fairford, RAF Lakenheath, RAF Menwith Hill and RAF Mildenhall.

Middle East: Military Operations

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish all (a) RAF bases and (b) airports in the UK that have been used by the USA for (i) military purposes and (ii) operations in the Middle East in the last 12 months.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence does not hold all of this information.In addition to the RAF bases occupied by United States Visiting Forces in the UK, the US military routinely uses or transits through other UK military and civilian airports as well as our overseas military bases, for operational, training or transitory purposes. This includes US military aircraft as well as military personnel travelling via civilian means using appropriate NATO travel documentation. This is also a testament to the depth of our defence partnership with the United States.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

West Bank

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the situation in the occupied West Bank territories; and whether he has had discussions with his regional counterparts on (a) supporting, (b) strengthening and (c) reforming the Palestinian Authority.

David Rutley: The Prime Minister, former Foreign Secretary and the Minister for the Middle East have engaged with Israel, the Palestinian Authority and partners across the Middle East on the conflict and have urged Israel to take meaningful action to support the Palestinian Authority. Our position is clear: Israel must not take action which would further undermine security and stability in the West Bank.The UK also recognises the importance of building the capability of Palestinian Institutions and we do provide significant technical assistance support on areas such as public financial management and security sector. Our support to the Palestinian Authority is extremely important in helping to lay the groundwork for a future Palestinian state and a lasting solution to the conflict in the region. Our policy on the Middle East Peace Process also remains clear: we support a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state; based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states, and a just, fair, agreed and realistic settlement for refugees. We believe that negotiations will only succeed when they are conducted between Israelis and Palestinians, supported by the international community.

Rwanda: Human Rights

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, further to the Answer of 31 January 2023 to Question 129752 on Rwanda: Human Rights, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of progress of the investigation into the death of John Williams Ntwali in Rwanda; and what steps his Department have taken to monitor that investigation.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK government is aware of the tragic death of John Williams Ntwali. We understand that a police investigation determined a traffic incident led to his death. Noting concerns around due process, we have raised this case with government of Rwanda and underlined the importance of transparent investigations. The UK encourages Rwanda to uphold and champion Commonwealth values of freedom of speech and the press, and respect for human rights. We discuss these issues regularly with the Government of Rwanda. We will continue to monitor the situation.

Gaza: Israel

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help protect UN workers in Gaza.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help protect journalists in Gaza.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help protect (a) medical and (b) humanitarian workers in Gaza.

David Rutley: The safety of humanitarian personnel, healthcare workers and journalists in Gaza is critical to enable aid to reach those who need it most. We strongly condemn all forms of violence and incitement to violence directed towards humanitarian personnel, healthcare workers and journalists and we have been consistently clear that everything must be done to protect lives. The Prime Minister and former Foreign Secretary have raised directly with their regional counterparts that it is vital that all possible measures are taken to uphold International Humanitarian Law.

Gaza: Civilians

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department's policy is on the evacuation from Gaza of (a) British citizens, (b) family members of British citizens and (c) people with UK visas who do not have (i) British citizenship and (ii) British family members.

David Rutley: We are focused on the safe evacuation of British Nationals from Gaza as quickly as possible, and over 150 British Nationals have left via the Rafah Border Crossing. The safety of all British nationals continues to be our utmost priority. We are using all the tools available to us to maximise our chances of bringing British nationals back home to their loved ones. The Foreign Secretary will work with his Israeli counterparts along with international partners to establish a safe passage for more British nationals out of Gaza. We are not commenting on exact numbers of British citizens within Gaza in order to protect ongoing operations. In conversations with their counterparts, the Prime Minister and former Foreign Secretary have reinforced the importance of ensuring that all foreign nationals are able to evacuate Gaza safely, as well as ensuring that humanitarian aid urgently reaches those who need it most in Gaza. We are continuing to raise this at the highest levels.

Algeria: Migrant Camps

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to UNSC resolution 2703, what steps his Department plans to take to encourage Algeria to allow UNHCR to freely conduct a census in the Tindouf camps.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the renewal of the mandate of MINURSO on 30 October 2023, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to support the Moroccan autonomy initiative.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support a political solution to the Western Sahara issue based on the Autonomy Plan presented by Morocco; and what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on that Plan.

David Rutley: The UK supported United Nations Security Council Resolution 2703 on 30 October, which renewed the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO's) mandate for 12 months. The UK supports UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, and supports the work of Staffan de Mistura, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General. The UK welcomes the recent efforts of all concerned to engage with the Envoy and to facilitate his recent visit to Western Sahara. We will continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process.

Eritrea: Refugees

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of how many (a) adult and (b) unaccompanied child Eritrean nationals eligible to come to the UK are unable to exit Ethiopia; and how many such people are receiving consular support from the UK.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Home Office are working with the International Committee of the Red Cross to process 16 Eritrean Nationals who hold UK visas and are trying to exit Ethiopia, 10 of whom are unaccompanied minors, to enable them to travel to the UK as soon as their exit visas are granted. The FCDO and our embassies, high commissions and consulates worldwide provide consular assistance to British nationals abroad. We cannot provide consular support to other countries' nationals, even if they have been living legally in the UK or have close connections to the UK.

Eritrea and Ethiopia: Armed Conflict

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) make an assessment of the likelihood of conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, (b) tackle the risks of material support for armed groups within Ethiopia from neighbouring states and c) support the African Union on these issues.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We continue to engage the Ethiopian government on peace within the country and in the region. On 27 October, the British Ambassador to Ethiopia told Ethiopia's national security advisor that Red Sea port access should not be pursued by aggression. To mark the one year anniversary of the Pretoria peace deal, the British Embassy Addis Ababa coordinated a joint statement with Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden, which called for further progress on implementation, including the full withdrawal of Eritrean and non-government forces from Ethiopia. The UK is also contributing funding to the African Union's Monitoring, Compliance and Verification Mechanism to support implementation, and we continue to press the government of Ethiopia, and all armed actors, to resolve their disputes through inclusive dialogue.

Development Aid: HIV Infection

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans his Department has to work with (a) international organisations and (b) partners to improve access to (i) antiretroviral therapy and (ii) other affordable medications in regions with high HIV prevalence.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Our pledge of £1 billion to the Global Fund for 2023-2025 will save over 1 million lives, including by providing antiretroviral therapy for 1.8 million people and HIV counselling and testing for 48 million people. FCDO also supports research and market shaping initiatives into HIV commodities to improve their development, access and affordability, particularly in low-income and high-burden countries . For example, the UK funds the WHO hosted Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction which has led important research on HIV, such as the recent ECHO trial on the link between HIV infection and contraceptive methods. FCDO also funds the International Partnership on Microbicides, a Product Development Partnership which develops innovative technologies, for example the dapivirine ring, the first long-acting HIV prevention product to help address women's unmet need for new methods of HIV-prevention. Our catalytic funding to MedAccess - an innovative social financing company for healthcare products - has led to the development of HIV-syphillis dual tests, and to securing HIV self-tests at a historic price of $1.

St Helena: Development Aid

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing a multi-year aid funding settlement to Saint Helena.

David Rutley: The UK Government is providing multi-year funding of up to £30 million between 2019-2026 for long-term infrastructure development on St Helena. Up to a further £33.06 million of financial aid will be provided in 2023/24 to support the delivery of public services and access to the island. This is an increase of 4 per cent on the previous year. The level and structure of financial aid settlements are set following detailed annual discussions with St Helena Ministers and officials; and take into consideration the potential merits of providing a multi-year aid funding settlement.

Forced Marriage Unit

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how (a) much funding and (b) many full-time equivalent staff have been allocated to the Forced Marriage Unit in each financial year since its foundation; and how many cases have been reported to that unit in each of those years.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) is jointly funded by the Home Office and FCDO. It currently has six full time staff, two joint heads (one from each department) and four case workers. The Unit's operating costs including staff time, outreach activity and casework are funded through the departmental budgets of its parent organisations.The FMU publishes annual statistics, including on the total number of cases per year, online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/forced-marriage-unit-statistics

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: Avian Influenza

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to reduce cases of avian influenza In (a) South Georgia and (b) the South Sandwich Islands.

David Rutley: The FCDO is working to support the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) following confirmation of cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in brown skua populations on Bird Island (South Georgia) earlier this month, and suspected spread to other species and sites for which samples have been returned to the UK for analysis. GSGSSI has a tiered response plan in place to manage the outbreak and, alongside the British Antarctic Survey, is monitoring the situation closely for spread. GSGSSI has put enhanced biosecurity procedures and mitigation measures in place for different groups and activities depending on the HPAI risk at each visitor or landing site, and is regularly updating site response levels. Visitor landings are continuing at some sites, but will be restricted or cancelled if necessary. A limited number of high priority science projects are continuing with additional safeguards in place.

China: Christianity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of persecution of Christians in China; and what steps he is taking to help support persecuted Christians in China.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The environment for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) across China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Christians.The British government works with international organisations and networks to promote and protect the freedom of religion or belief for all where it is threatened, including through the UN, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance.We regularly raise the human rights situation in China directly with the Chinese authorities. The former Foreign Secretary did so in a meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister in August 2023.

British Antarctic Territory: Avian Influenza

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to reduce cases of avian influenza In the British Antarctic territory.

David Rutley: No cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) have yet been recorded in the British Antarctic Territory (BAT). The FCDO is working with scientists at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) to monitor the situation. BAS scientists have developed a phased approach, should HPAI be detected in BAT, that aims to monitor and mitigate outbreaks as far as possible. FCDO is issuing guidance for anyone granted a permit to enter Antarctica, which sets out regulations as well as warning behaviours and how to report any instances of this. FCDO guidance also advises all permit holders to abide by any guidelines released by the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators when landing near any bird colonies. Enhanced precautions are now in place which require any scientists who plans to handle wildlife to follow the latest guidance issued by the FCDO and BAS.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Violence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of recent violence in the Turks & Caicos Islands.

David Rutley: The UK is committed to the security of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) and is supporting their response to the continued high levels of violence in TCI. The safety of residents in Turks and Caicos is of paramount importance to the UK government. During my recent visit to TCI, I [Minister Rutley] met with the Premier and Governor and reiterated the UK's support for reducing the ongoing gang violence. The UK is supporting TCI directly, including through the ongoing funding of a serious crime team, embedded in the local police force.

Sri Lanka: Water

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Sri Lankan counterpart on water quality in the Northern Province.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government is aware of the challenges Sri Lanka faces around water management and quality, and the unique challenges faced by communities in the Northern Province. Officials from the British High Commission Colombo regularly visit the Northern Province to meet a range of stakeholders to hear their experiences and issues. A number of public bodies in Sri Lanka, including the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, have conducted tests into the water quality. The Chunnakam Power plant has offered compensation to those affected by water pollution. The UK Government supports the International Water Management Institute, an international water management research organisation, to provide solutions to increasing water scarcity in Puttalam and Kilinochchi.

China: National Security

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament report entitled China, published on 13 July 2023, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies on appointments in international investment initiatives of the findings of that report.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government recognises China as an epoch-defining and systemic challenge, and has taken robust action to build our domestic resilience and safeguard our national security. HMG is grateful for the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament's China Report and has put in place a range of measures to protect our infrastructure and supply chains, including the National Security and Investment Act. In addition, the National Security Act brings together vital new measures to protect our national security.

Nagorno Karabakh: Churches

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what reports he has received on the destruction of churches in Nagorno-Karabakh during the conflict in that region.

Leo Docherty: Although we have not received any reports of the destruction of churches in Nagorno-Karabakh during the recent conflict, the UK Government is clear that the preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue. The British Embassy in Baku has raised this with the Azerbaijani government consistently and at senior level.

Unitaid: Finance

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding the UK pledged to Unitaid in the period from 2006 to 2026; how much and what proportion of that funding has been disbursed; and whether he plans to disburse the full amount of the pledged funding by the end of 2026.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK has been a strong supporter and partner of Unitaid for over 17 years. We continue to highly value Unitaid's work to drive access to life-saving new health technologies for those who need them most.The UK has a 20-year donor arrangement with Unitaid from 2007-2026, for a total commitment of €1.1 billion converted to £789 million at the outset. The UK has contributed £574 million to date. Allocations for 2025-26 and beyond will form part of the next Spending Review process.

Sierra Leone: Elections

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Sierra Leone on alleged irregularities in the elections on 24 June 2023; and what diplomatic steps he is taking to help prevent civil conflict in that country.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to supporting the aspirations of the Sierra Leonean people and has engaged stakeholders including the government, opposition, election bodies and international community in the months leading up to, during and after the elections. We have given consistent messages about the importance of free and fair elections, good governance and the rule of law. The former Foreign Secretary raised these issues during his March visit to Sierra Leone and in a telephone call with President Bio on 7 August. It remains vital that Sierra Leone's political leaders support the democratic process and reduce the risk of civil unrest.

Iceland: British Nationals Abroad

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure the safety of UK nationals in Iceland.

Leo Docherty: The FCDO's Iceland travel advice reflects the current events in Grindavík and the seismic activity across the Reykjanes Peninsula. Events are not currently impacting the rest of Iceland. The British Embassy in Iceland is working closely with local authorities. We are not aware of any affected UK Nationals at present. UK nationals in the affected areas should sign up for travel advice alerts and contact the British Embassy if they require help. Our travel advice remains under constant review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals.

Visas: EU Countries

Mary Glindon: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Government plans to hold discussions with the EU on enabling UK citizens with holiday homes in the EU to extend their stay for more than 90 days in every 180 day period.

Leo Docherty: The UK's Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU confirms that both the UK and EU currently provide for visa-free travel for short-term visits for each other's nationals in accordance with their respective laws.British citizens are treated as third country nationals under the Schengen Borders Code. As such, they are able to travel visa-free for short stays for up to 90 days in a rolling 180-day period. This is the standard length of stay that the EU offers to other third countries, in line with existing EU legislation.I [Minister Docherty] engage regularly with my EU counterparts to discuss a range of issues, including on mobility.The Government is focused on the smooth, robust and effective implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Treasury

Workplace Pensions: Advisory Services

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the affordability of independent financial advice for members of pension schemes with safeguarded benefits who are required to take advice under section 48 of the Pension Schemes Act 2015.

Bim Afolami: The Pensions Schemes Act 2015 requires that members of pension schemes with safeguarded benefits take independent financial advice before accessing their pension pot flexibly, where the total value of the member’s benefits exceeds £30,000. These pensions offer a high level of security and guarantees that should not be relinquished without consumers being supported to make an informed choice about the risks. In 2019, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that consumers who took advice from firms that charged on a non-contingent basis typically paid £2,500 - £3,500 for advice. There are a variety of resources available to help consumers shop around for an advice firm that best meets their needs, including MoneyHelper’s Retirement Adviser Directory.

Credit Reference Agencies

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of buy now pay later providers who voluntarily report their customers’ (a) borrowing and (b) repayment records to credit reference agencies.

Bim Afolami: HM Treasury regularly monitors the consumer credit market as part of its normal process of policy development. Buy-Now Pay-Later (BNPL) is an interest-free product which gives consumers a time-limited means of spreading payments for their purchases. When used responsibly and provided affordably it can be a helpful way for consumers to manage their finances and make purchases. Many consumers are attracted to BNPL because of its interest-free nature, which the Government considers makes it inherently lower risk than most other types of credit. The FCA’s most recent Financial Lives survey found that 46% of people of who had used BNPL in the past 12 months chose it because it was interest-free. In addition, the survey found that 88% of users found it easy to keep track of their repayments. As such, BNPL represents a popular alternative to traditional, interest-bearing forms of credit like credit cards and personal loans. For some financially vulnerable consumers it may also provide an alternative to high-cost and illegal lending. Further data from the FCA shows that around 14 million adults used BNPL in the six months to January 2023 and that the average outstanding BNPL balance is low at £236. While the department does not hold precise information on the number and proportion of BNPL firms reporting borrowing and repayment records for their customers’ agreements to credit reference agencies, it understands that several of the UK’s major BNPL firms have reporting arrangements in place with at least one credit reference agency.

Credit: Regulation

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to introduce interim measures to protect buy now pay later borrowers.

Bim Afolami: Buy-Now Pay-Later (BNPL) is an interest-free product which gives consumers a time-limited means of spreading payments for their purchases. When used responsibly and provided affordably it can be a helpful way for consumers to manage their finances and make purchases. Many consumers are attracted to BNPL because of its interest-free nature, which the Government considers makes it inherently lower risk than most other types of credit. The FCA’s most recent Financial Lives survey found that 46% of people of who had used BNPL in the past 12 months chose it because it was interest-free. In addition, the survey found that 88% of users found it easy to keep track of their repayments. As such, BNPL represents a popular alternative to traditional, interest-bearing forms of credit like credit cards and personal loans. For some financially vulnerable consumers it may also provide an alternative to high-cost and illegal lending. Further data from the FCA shows that around 14 million adults used BNPL in the six months to January 2023 and that the average outstanding BNPL balance is low at £236. The Government’s consultation on proposed draft legislation to bring Buy-Now Pay-Later into regulation closed in April. Since then the Government has been carefully considering stakeholder feedback. The Government will publish a response to the consultation once it is finalised in due course. In the meantime, BNPL users already benefit from broader consumer protection legislation, including on advertising and unfair contract terms. The FCA also has existing powers to take action against firms, which it used as recently as Tuesday 31 October to secure changes to firms' potentially unfair and unclear contract terms. Some BNPL firms have also introduced a credit ‘opt-out’ function for their customers.

Banks: Fraud

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's policies to tackle bank (a) fraud and (b) scams.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an estimate of the total amount banks have repaid customers that have been victims of (a) fraud and (b) payment scams.

Bim Afolami: The Government takes fraud and scams very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this devastating crime. Tackling fraud and scams requires a unified and co-ordinated response from government, law enforcement and the private sector to better protect the public and businesses, reduce the impact on victims, and increase the disruption and prosecution of fraudsters. According to data published by the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) on 31 October, the fourteen largest payment service providers reimbursed a total of £237,219,623 of losses from authorised push payment (APP) fraud. Reimbursement rates varied significantly by firm. As part of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, the Government legislated to enable the PSR to mandate payment service providers to reimburse victims of APP scams. This will ensure that victims of APP scams are reimbursed on a more consistent basis and ensure greater consumer protection. The Government also intends to introduce legislation to allow payment service providers to slow down payments processing when there is a reasonable suspicion of fraud. The Government will introduce this legislation in due course. Beyond this, the Government has taken significant action to address this issue. In May 2022, the Government published its fraud strategy, setting out a number of new measures. For example, the Government announced it will extend the ban on cold calling to cover all consumer financial services and products, and recently consulted on the design and scope of this ban. The Government has also taken action to address fraudulent activity being hosted online through the Online Safety Act 2023, which includes a new standalone duty requiring large internet firms to remove fraudulent content on their platforms.

Toys and Games and Food: Inflation

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the impact of inflation on the average price of (a) oranges, (b) chocolate, (c) candy canes and (d) toys in the last 12 months.

Bim Afolami: Inflation data for games, toys, and hobbies can be downloaded here https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/datasets/consumerpriceinflation.The ONS also have a shopping prices comparison tool which shows inflation for oranges and chocolate, and can be found here https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/articles/shoppingpricescomparisontool/2023-05-03.

Help to Buy Scheme: Individual Savings Accounts

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on the number of people with Help to Buy ISAs who have bought a house in each of the last three years.

Bim Afolami: The Government is committed to supporting people of all incomes and at all stages of life to save, and to making the aspiration of home ownership a reality for as many households as possible. The Help to Buy: ISA scheme continues to support existing account holders save for a deposit towards their first home. The number of property completions is available online at Official Statistics on the Help to Buy: ISA scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Individual Savings Accounts: Fees and Charges

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on the number of people who have paid a charge to withdraw money early from an ISA in the last three years; and if he will make an estimate of the total value of those charges.

Bim Afolami: Withdrawals from ISAs do not attract a statutory withdrawal charge. The exception is the Lifetime ISA where a 25% charge applies on the amount withdrawn, other than where the withdrawn funds are used by a first-time buyer to purchase a home that costs £450,000 or below, or where the investor is terminally ill or aged 60 or over. Statistics on the number of individuals making unauthorised withdrawals from the Lifetime ISA and the value of these charges can be found in HMRC’s published annual savings statistics 2023. www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics-2023

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 25 October 2023 to Question 203613 on Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward its formal evaluation of alcohol duty increases in the context of consumer price inflation for alcohol.

Gareth Davies: The Government has undertaken the biggest reform of alcohol duties for over 140 years and has introduced a new, simplified alcohol duty system based on the common-sense principle of taxing alcohol by strength. The Government is closely monitoring the impact of the reforms and will evaluate the impact of the new rates and structures three years after the changes took effect on 1 August 2023. The Government thinks it is right to allow time to understand the impacts on the alcohol market and for HMRC to gather useful and accurate data with which to evaluate. However, the Government engages regularly with stakeholders to understand market conditions and keeps all taxes under review.

Treasury: Civil Servants

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference the 1,985 total headcount figure for permanent civil servants excluding agency workers working for his Department as of 31 March 2023, as detailed in Cabinet Office statistics entitled Permanent and temporary civil servants by sex, age band and department: 2023, published on 31 October 2023, what that figure was on 31 March (a) 2011, (b) 2016 and (c) 2020.

Gareth Davies: The headcount for HM Treasury as at the 31st March 2011, 31st March 2016, and 31st March 2020 can be found in the following ONS online locations. - 31 March 2011- ONS Archives: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20150905000144mp_/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pse/public-sector-employment/q1-2011/stb-q1-2011.pdf - 31 March 2016 – ONS Archives:- https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/publicsectoremploymentreferencetable/march2016/psereferencetablesmarch2016.xls - 31 March 2020 – ONS Archives: https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/publicsectoremploymentreferencetable/march2020/datasets.xlsx  On 2 October 2023, The Chancellor announced an immediate cap on civil servant headcount across Whitehall to stop any further expansion, increase efficiencies and boost productivity. The Civil Service grew in size to manage the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the illegal war in the Ukraine but it is right that we reduce the size of the Civil Service over time as we drive up productivity and deliver efficiencies.

Treasury: Theft

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data his Department holds on the (a) number and (b) total cost of replacing (i) laptops, (ii) mobile phones, (iii) memory sticks and (iv) external hard drives that have been (A) lost and (B) stolen in the last year.

Gareth Davies: The following table includes the number of lost or stolen devices in HM Treasury in the last year.  LostStolenTotal cost of replacingLaptops44£9,187Mobile Phones3910£32,594Memory Sticks00£0External Hard Drive00£0  All departmental IT is fully security encrypted.The departmental security unit records and investigates each reported loss. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.Laptops and mobiles that are reported lost or stolen are deactivated and set to remotely delete.There has been no data loss or compromise as a result of these losses.

Revenue and Customs: Civil Servants

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference the 67,705 total headcount figure for permanent civil servants excluding agency workers working for HMRC as of 31 March 2023, as detailed in Cabinet Office statistics entitled Permanent and temporary civil servants by sex, age band and department: 2023, published on 31 October 2023, what that figure was on 31 March (a) 2011, (b) 2016 and (c) 2020.

Nigel Huddleston: On 2 October 2023, The Chancellor announced an immediate cap on civil servant headcount across Whitehall to stop any further expansion, increase efficiencies and boost productivity.The Civil Service grew in size to manage the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the illegal war in the Ukraine but it is right that we reduce the size of the Civil Service over time as we drive up productivity and deliver efficienciesIn answer to your question please refer to the information within the following links: - ·Office for National Statistics Public Sector employment UK:March 2020 March 2020 table 8  ·Office for National Statistics Public Sector employment UK March 2016 March 2016 table 8Office for National Statistics Statistical Bulletin Public Sector Employment Quarter 1 2011 March 2011 table 8

Warehouses: Business Rates

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of business rates on the warehousing sector.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with the warehousing sector on levels of taxation.

Nigel Huddleston: At Autumn Statement 2022, the Government announced a package of changes and tax cuts worth £13.6 billion over the next five years, including:a freeze to the business rates multiplier for 2023-24, a tax cut worth £9.3 billion over the next 5 years, meaning all bills are 6% lower than without the freeze;an Exchequer funded Transitional Relief scheme worth £1.6 billion to protect an estimated 700,000 ratepayers facing bill increases due to increases in rateable value. The Government has announced that it will permanently scrap ‘downwards caps’ which had restricted falling bills in previous schemes. This will benefit around 300,000 ratepayers who will see their full bill decrease from April 2023. Decisions on future business rates support will be made in due course.

Defibrillators: VAT

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will meet representatives of (a) the Heart Restart Tax campaign and (b) British Healthcare Trades Association to discuss the potential merits of removing VAT from automated external defibrillators.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to remove VAT on all automated external defibrillators.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government maintains VAT reliefs to aid the purchase of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), including VAT relief on purchases made by local authorities and those made through voluntary contributions, where the AED is donated to eligible charities or the NHS. Otherwise, they attract the standard rate of VAT.The Government is currently inviting community organisations to bid for funding as part of a £1 million grant scheme that expands public access to AEDs, particularly in public places where they are most needed. In addition, last year the Government committed to supplying state-funded schools in England with defibrillators to make sure there is a device in every school, with deliveries completed in June 2023. This means that every state-funded school in England, over 21,500 schools, now has access to an AED. The Government keeps all taxes under review.

Russia: Defence Equipment

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many UK-based companies his Department has identified as having exported (a) military and (b) dual use capabilities to Russia in violation of UK sanctions since February 2022.

Nigel Huddleston: The UK has prohibited the export to Russia of thousands of products, including military and dual use items. Our trade with Russia is down over 96% on pre-invasion levels.HMRC enforces customs controls on Strategic Exports and sanctioned goods, including arms exports. The department takes breaches of sanctions very seriously and investigates all credible allegations of sanctions offences within its customs remit.NTE 2023/17: a compound settlement - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Due to the confidentiality element of Compound Settlements, HMRC is unable to disclose details of the types of goods or companies involved.

Stamp Duty Land Tax: Exemptions

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many house purchases have not been subject to stamp duty due to the Stamp Duty Land Tax (Temporary Relief) Act 2023 since that act was introduced.

Nigel Huddleston: HM Revenue & Customs HM Revenue & Customs do not publish separate information on the number of residential property transactions not subject to Stamp Duty Land Tax due to the Stamp Duty Land Tax (Temporary Relief) Act 2023.However, transactions not subject to Stamp Duty Land Tax due to the Stamp Duty Land Tax (Temporary Relief) Act 2023 are included in the total number of non liable residential transactions with a purchase price of more than £125,000. This is published by HM Revenue & Customs in the quarterly Stamp Duty Land Tax statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-stamp-duty-land-tax-sdlt-statistics.

Public Finance: Wales

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much additional funding his Department provided to the block grant for Wales as a consequence of the five per cent uplift determined following the agreement between the Welsh government and the UK Government on the Welsh government’s fiscal framework, published on 19 December 2016, in each financial year since 2020-21.

Laura Trott: The Block Grant Transparency publication sets out a full breakdown of funding for the Welsh Government, including the impact of the 5% uplift.This publication is updated regularly, and the most recent report was published in July 2023.

High Income Child Benefit Tax Charge

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ending the high income child benefit charge.

Laura Trott: The Government is committed to managing the public finances in a disciplined and responsible way.The High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) ensures that the Government supports the majority of families whilst keeping welfare expenditure sustainable.Most families are unaffected. In 2020-21, (the latest year that data is available), the HICBC raised over £400m in revenue. 99.7% of those who declared a liability for HICBC paid income tax at the higher rate or above, and 88% of Child Benefit claimants were unaffected by the HICBC.The Government therefore considers that keeping the HICBC in place remains appropriate, but keeps all tax policies under review.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Government: Standards

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department’s tender for the provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities, notice reference 2022/S 000-024515, published on 1 September 2022, which local authorities have been reviewed since this contract was assigned.

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to section 5.3 of his Department's pre-tender market engagement document relating to the tender for provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities, reference CPD4124050, published on 1 September 2022, whether the contract has been extended.

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to section 4.2 of his Department's pre-tender market engagement document relating to the tender for provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities, reference CPD4124050, published on 1 September 2022, which local authorities were the minimum six and maximum 32 for which it was forecast that a review might be required.

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to section 4.5 of his Department's pre-tender market engagement document relating to the tender for provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities, reference CPD4124050, published on 1 September 2022, whether additional unexpected risks have been uncovered in any of the reviews undertaken since this contract was assigned.

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to his Department’s tender for the provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities, notice reference 2022/S 000-024515, published on 1 September 2022, what the cost to the public purse of that contract has been as of 10 November 2023.

Simon Hoare: The contract referenced provides for the provision of external assurance reviews of local authorities in support of DLUHC's role as steward of the local government sector and Local Government Accountability Framework. Since the contract award, it has been used to deliver reviews where councils have sought Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) from Government or engaged with the Department where there may be evidence of significant local financial risks. The Government has been transparent about the outcome of reviews and, for example, published previous reviews linked to EFS requests on gov.uk.The referenced number of reviews, a minimum of six and maximum of 32, as per the referenced document CPD4124050 was an anticipated requirement to enable prospective bidders to submit a bid in the absence of being able to provide an exact figure due to the demand led nature of the work.The contract award notice is published here. Spend against the contract is published here as part of normal Departmental transparency requirements.

Flood Control: Central Suffolk and North Ipswich

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the distribution of flood relief grant-aid to (a) homes and (b) businesses affected by the flooding caused by Storm Babet in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituency.

Jacob Young: I extend my sympathy to all those affected by the impacts of Storm Babet, flooding is a devastating experience for anyone. I also recognise the efforts of councils and emergency responders and thank them for their ongoing work in affected areas.The Secretary of State activated the Flood Recovery Framework on Wednesday 25 October. The activation of the Storm Babet Flood Recovery Framework will be reviewed following implementation by local authorities.For the Storm Babet Flood Recovery Framework activation, eligible areas are those upper and lower tier authority areas:Reporting over 50 internally flooded properties (any combination of households and businesses) at their Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) level; andWith properties flooded as a direct result of Storm Babet; andWith properties flooded between the dates of 19 October 2023 and 25 October 2023.East Suffolk Council, Mid Suffolk Council and Ipswich Council are eligible for the Storm Babet Flood Recovery Framework and have until 25 January 2024 to provide information on impacts to my department to support payment processes.

Meals on Wheels

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that Meals on Wheels services are adequately resourced to meet the (a) nutritional needs and (b) social well-being of (i) older and (ii) disabled people.

Simon Hoare: The provision of Meals on Wheels is an important public service and Councils are best placed to make decisions about their provision alongside other local services.To enable this, final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2023/24 makes available up to £59.7 billion for local government in England, an increase in Core Spending Power of up to £5.1 billion or 9.4% in cash terms on 2022/23. This includes around £2 billion in additional grant for social care through the Settlement for 2023/24.

Markets

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to support local authorities to maintain traditional markets in (a) Romford and (b) England.

Jacob Young: Markets can make a significant contribution to the vibrancy and diversity of our high streets and town centres. They also have an important role as local employers and as business incubators. It is for local authorities, not central Government, to make decisions on running, supporting and investing in local markets in their areas.

Housing: Older People

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to support local authorities with housing vulnerable elderly citizens in (a) Romford and (b) England.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to support local authorities with housing vulnerable homeless families in (a) Romford and (b) England.

Felicity Buchan: I refer my Hon Friend to my answer to Question UIN 201711 on 23 October 2023. This is part of the £2 billion of funding committed to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over three years.The right housing can play a vital role in delivering improved wellbeing and health, and greater independence, for many older people. It is for local authorities such as London Borough of Havering in Romford to plan for the right housing options, working with local partners, based on the needs of older people locally.The £11.5 billion Affordable Homes programme (2021-26) (England) includes delivery within the programme of new supply of supported and sheltered housing. This is alongside other investment in specialist housing for older and disabled people with personal care needs, through the Department for Health and Social Care.The Government has established an independent Older People’s Housing Taskforce to look at how a greater choice of housing might be provided for older people. The year-long Taskforce launched in May 2023 and the Government is looking forward to receiving its final recommendations in 2024.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Homelessness

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that participants in the Homes for Ukraine scheme do not become homeless.

Felicity Buchan: I refer my Hon Friend to my answer to Question UIN 443 on 13 November 2023.

Enterprise Zones

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment with her counterparts in the devolved Administrations of the effectiveness of enterprise zones in each region.

Jacob Young: The Department has learnt valuable lessons from the delivery of the Enterprise Zones program that have informed the development of more recent zonal policies such as Freeports and Investment Zones. The government is committed to robust monitoring and evaluation of Freeports and Investment Zones to ensure their success and will report on their impact annually.

Vagrancy Act 1824

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2023 Question 197602 on Vagrancy Act 1824, what his timeline is for publishing his Department’s response to the consultation on the Vagrancy Act 1824.

Felicity Buchan: A Government response to the consultation on replacement legislation for the Vagrancy Act will be released in due course.

Home Office

Electronic Travel Authorisations: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to introduce routine checks on electronic travel authorisations in Northern Ireland when that scheme begins.

Robert Jenrick: On 25 October 2023, the Government launched the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme to secure our borders and make the UK safer. The scheme is open to nationals of Qatar and will continue to be implemented in a phased manner, on a nationality basis, in 2024. The Government remains committed to the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and ensuring there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. As is the case now, the UK will not operate routine immigration controls on journeys from within the Common Travel Area (CTA), with no immigration controls whatsoever on the Ireland-Northern Ireland land border. Whilst there will continue to be no routine immigration controls on journeys within the CTA, the introduction of the ETA scheme will, for the first time, allow us to have a comprehensive understanding of who is seeking to come to the UK and refuse them permission where appropriate. It is a well-established requirement that individuals visiting the UK, including those arriving from Ireland, are required to enter in line with the UK’s immigration framework. Visa nationals are already required to obtain a visa for the UK when travelling via Ireland, in order to lawfully enter the UK and we are simply extending this same principle to those who will require an ETA.

Visas: Applications

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans his Department has to reduce the number of pending visa applications.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office is not currently experiencing any delays in the processing of visas for all routes.Current processing times can be found on the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/visa-processing-times

Freezing of Assets

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money has been frozen under the freezing orders implemented by the Combatting Kleptocracy Cell on the finances since the start of the war in Ukraine; and what assessment she has made of the impact of those freezing orders on the finances of the people and organisations affected.

Tom Tugendhat: The NCA's Combatting Kleptocracy Cell has currently frozen approximately £1.36 million under account freezing orders, or had monies detained under a cash detention orders.Due to operational security matters the NCA cannot provide further detail on cases, including the impact on the finances of specific individuals or organisations.

Community Assets and Religious Buildings: Security

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department has taken to provide additional resources to police forces to support target hardening measures at (a) community spaces and (b) places of worship.

Tom Tugendhat: This Government is committed to making our streets and communities safer.On 31 January, the Government confirmed a total police funding settlement of up to £17.2 billion in 2023/24, an increase of up to £313.8 million when compared to 2022/23. As part of this, funding for Counter Terrorism Policing was set at over £1 billion and covers a range of activity, including in relation to protective security.In addition, the Police and Crime Commissioners have been allocated £42 million through the latest fifth round of the Safer Streets Fund to support interventions that will make our streets safer. This includes funding for target hardening measures in public spaces – such as CCTV, street lighting and alley-gating – as well as improved home security measures for properties at risk of (repeat) burglary.There are also freely available resources to local forces, along with local authorities and businesses, through the ProtectUK platform and from the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA).On top of this police funding, the Home Office is providing up to £46 million to protect faith communities in 2023/24. This includes £18 million through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant, £24.5 million through the new Protective Security for Mosques scheme and a scheme for Muslim faith schools, and £3.5 million for the places of worship of other (non-Muslim and non-Jewish) faiths.

Fire and Rescue Services

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the proposals in the Firefighters’ Manifesto published on 1 November 2023 by the Fire Brigades Union.

Chris Philp: The Government remains committed to reform in the fire sector and will continue to work with our partners, including the Fire Brigades Union, to push for meaningful change for the benefit of both the sector and the public.The response to the Fire Reform White Paper will be published shortly.The Government is committed to ensuring fire services have the resources they need to do their important work and to keep the public safe.In 2023/24, fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.6 billion. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each fire and rescue authority.

Police: Termination of Employment

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of police officers that have left the profession for reasons other than retirement since 2013.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the number of police officers leaving the police service in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-walesInformation on the number of police officer leavers, by leaver type, between 2007 and 2023, on a full-time equivalent and headcount basis, can be found in the ‘Leavers Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1172932/open-data-table-police-workforce-leavers-260723.ods

Home Office: Theft

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data their Department holds on the (a) number and (b) total cost of replacing (i) laptops, (ii) mobile phones, (iii) memory sticks and (iv) external hard drives that have been (A) lost and (B) stolen in the last year.

Chris Philp: Devices reported as Lost or Stolen in 2023:69 Encrypted laptops have been reported lost or stolen in 2023. The total value to replace these (based on purchase price) is £50,889.115 Encrypted smartphones have been reported lost or stolen in 2023. The total value to replace these (based on purchase price) is £46,469.3 Encrypted Memory Sticks have been reported lost or stolen in 2023. The total value to replace these (based on purchase price) is £71.16.No External Hard Drives have been reported lost or stolen so far in 2023.The departmental security unit records and investigates each reported loss from the Department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries. The Office of the Data Protection Officer will investigate any loss of data.All devices reported lost or stolen are disabled and remotely wiped (should they appear online). Devices remain managed by Home Office systems so cannot be used.

Sleeping Rough

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent meetings with charities supporting rough sleepers to discuss the use of tents by rough sleepers.

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent meetings with charities supporting rough sleepers to discuss the introduction of new fines for rough sleepers.

Chris Philp: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities lead on homelessness and rough sleeping and as such have regular meetings with stakeholders. DLUHC consulted on replacing the outdated Vagrancy Act last year and undertook extensive engagement at this time.The Home Office has additionally engaged with police, local authorities, PCCs and other organisations on this topic.The Vagrancy Act 1824 criminalises begging and some forms of rough sleeping and the Government agreed in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 to repeal this outdated legislation and replace it with a package fit for modern usage.We outlined those plans in the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan published by this Government in March this year.Details on future legislation will be set out in due course.

Demonstrations: Flags

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with police forces on preventing the use of flags of extremist organisations at protests.

Chris Philp: The management of protests is an operational matter for the police, who are independent of government.The Home Office remains in regular contact with the police to ensure that they are fully supported in tackling unlawful behaviour at protests.

Home Office: Civil Servants

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference the 40,755 total headcount figure for permanent civil servants excluding agency workers working for her Department as of 31 March 2023, as detailed in Cabinet Office statistics entitled Permanent and temporary civil servants by sex, age band and department: 2023, published on 31 October 2023, what that figure was on 31 March (a) 2011, (b) 2016 and (c) 2020.

Chris Philp: This information is published annually by the Office of National Statistics, links provided below.(a) March 2020, table 8(b) March 2016, table 8(c) March 2011, table 8

Asylum: Rwanda

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings on pages 64 to 66 and 103 to 106 of the report “Join Us or Die”: Rwanda’s Extraterritorial Repression, published by Human Rights Watch in October 2023.

Tom Tugendhat: All attempts by foreign Governments to coerce, intimidate, harass or harm their critics overseas, undermining democracy and the rule of law, are unacceptable. Any threats made by a foreign state against individuals in the UK will be thoroughly investigated.This Government is committed to tackling the issue of transnational repression. The National Security Act will strengthen our legal powers to counter foreign interference and the Defending Democracy Taskforce, established last year to help protect the democratic integrity of the UK, is conducting a review into the UK’s approach to transnational repression.

Antisemitism

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of recent statistics from Community Security Trust on the levels of antisemitism incidents since 7 October 2023; and what steps he is taking to help protect the safety of the Jewish community.

Tom Tugendhat: The Government utterly condemns the abhorrent spike in anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hate crime that has been seen as a result of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.This Government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion at their chosen place of worship, and to making our streets and communities safer. The Government and police regularly review potential threats to ensure that everything is done to protect communities from hate crime.Earlier this year, the Home Secretary established the Jewish Community Crime, Policing and Security Taskforce. This group brings together Government, law enforcement and the UK Jewish community (represented by the Community Security Trust (CST)) to discuss issues of safety and security concern to the community, and what can be done to ensure instances of antisemitism are comprehensively investigated and prosecuted.We are continuing to support the police to ensure they have the resources and tools required to tackle any incidents relating to the ongoing conflict. Where people incite racial or religious hatred or where people’s conduct is threatening, abusive or disorderly and causes harassment, alarm or distress to others, we expect the police to take action to ensure perpetrators can be brought to justice.In March 2023, the Home Secretary announced the continuation of the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant (JCPSG) and increased funding for 2023/24 by £1 million, to a total of £15 million. The JCPSG provides protective security measures (such as guarding, CCTV and alarm systems) at Jewish schools and other Jewish community sites. The Grant is managed on behalf of the Home Office by CST.In response to the conflict and reports of increased incidents of antisemitism in the UK, the Prime Minister has announced additional funding of £3 million for CST to provide additional security at Jewish schools, synagogues and other Jewish Community sites. This brings the total funding for CST in FY2023/24 to £18 million. We continue to work closely with CST on how best to respond to live incidents that affect the Jewish communities in the UK.More broadly, the Government continues to fund True Vision, an online hate crime reporting portal, designed so that victims of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report. We also continue to fund the National Online Hate Crime Hub, a central capability designed to support individual local police forces in dealing with online hate crime. The Hub provides expert advice to police forces to support them in investigating these offences.

Sleeping Rough

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to bring forward legislative proposals to replace the Vagrancy Act 1824 on the number of arrests of rough sleepers.

Chris Philp: The Government does not collect figures on police usage of the Vagrancy Act where this does not result in prosecution.As the Government made clear at the time, the repeal of the Vagrancy Act will be brought into force once suitable replacement legislation is in place to ensure local authorities and police have the powers, they need to support vulnerable individuals and keep communities safe.

Home Office: Women

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of civil servants in his Department who are on temporary contracts are women.

Chris Philp: The proportion of female Civil Servants in the Home Office who are on temporary contracts is 50%.

Home Office: Women

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of civil servants in his Department who are on (a) pay band Senior Civil Servant 2 and (b) full-time equivalent contracts are women.

Chris Philp: The proportion of senior civil servants at pay band 2 is 0.14% of the total Home Office workforce; of this group, 34.92% are female. Of the overall workforce, 51.96% are female.

Abortion: Demonstrations

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023, what is her expected timeline for implementing safe access zones.

Chris Philp: The Public Order Act 2023 received Royal Assent on 2 May. Implementation of the Public Order Act measures is staggered.The Government respects the will of Parliament and is working to commence Safe Access Zones as soon as is practicably possible. We have been considering what needs to be done to ensure Safe Access Zones can be implemented as effectively as possible, with law enforcement agencies having a clear and consistent understanding around enforcement, and abortion service providers and protestors being clear as to what is expected under the new law.The timescales for commencing the new Section 9 offence of interference with access to, or provision of, abortion services will be confirmed in due course.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Game: Birds

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 23 October 2023 to Question 202935 on Game: Birds, how many of those applications did Natural England recommend approving.

Robbie Moore: With reference to the Answer of 23 October 2023 to Question 202935 on Game Birds, Natural England recommended approving 69 of those licence applications.

Firearms: Regulation

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on reform of gun laws.

Robbie Moore: Reform of gun laws is a matter for the Home Office.

Gun Sports

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with groups representing (a) the shooting industry and (b) people who shoot since 25 October 2022.

Robbie Moore: The Secretary of State has met regularly with the shooting industry and people who shoot. External ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis here.

Firearms: Regulation

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on firearm reforms, in the context of the shooting in Keyham, Plymouth.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has held discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on firearm reforms since 25 October 2022.

Robbie Moore: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.

Air Pollution: Standards

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects the World Health Organization’s Air Quality Guideline levels for (a) PM2.5 and (b) NO2 pollution to be met.

Robbie Moore: The WHO air quality guidelines are intended to inform the setting of air quality standards and are not ready-made targets for adoption as they do not take into account achievability or individual countries’ circumstances. For example, our evidence strongly suggests that the 2021 WHO guideline level for PM2.5 is not possible to achieve in many locations in England due to the level of natural PM2.5 and pollution blown in from outside the country. We do consider the WHO guidelines as part of an evidence led process when setting new air quality targets including the recently set PM2.5 targets which support continuous improvement in PM2.5 levels up to 2040. Our priority for NO2 remains working with local authorities to take action to achieve compliance with current NO2 limits in the shortest possible time.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Communication

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many full-time staff worked in Defra Group Communications in each year since 2019.

Mark Spencer: The number of staff who worked in the communications directorate since 2019 as of 31 March each year is shown below Financial year as of 31 March each yearHeadcount2018/192282019/202282020/212342021/222452022/232222023/24 (to 31 Oct)238 Alongside the core department, the Communications team provides communications support for five of the department’s largest arm’s length bodies including the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, the Forestry Commission and the Rural Payments Agency. The teams work across all communications disciplines in support of the policy and operational priorities within each of these organisations. This includes media, planning, stakeholder engagement, digital communications and internal communications across the six parts of the Defra group. As Defra Group Communications staff work in an agile way in multiple organisations, it is not possible to provide granular full-time equivalent figures for each part of the group, including the core department.

Wood-burning Stoves: Fraud

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support local councils to tackle illegal log burning.

Robbie Moore: Burning logs is not illegal, but we have introduced policies to reduce emissions from wood burning. These include:Restricting the sale of small volumes of wet wood (less than 2m3) - wood sold in small volumes must have a moisture content of 20% or less, andMaking it easier for local authorities to enforce smoke control area rules by replacing the criminal offence for smoke emissions with a civil penalty regime.The Environment Improvement Plan (EIP) sets out further measures to reduce emissions from wood burning. These include:Publishing outdoor burning best practice guidance.Extending the solid fuels legislation, including to fuels burned outside.Tightening the limits that new stoves in Smoke Control Areas must meet.Driving a shift away from older, more polluting appliances to newer appliances which meet our tough new emission standards.Continuing our targeted communications campaign to promote best practice when burning. As set out in our recent Air Quality Strategy, we also continue to work with local authorities to help them tackle emissions from domestic combustion in their communities. This includes funding relevant local projects through our 2023/24 Air Quality Grant.

Wood-burning Stoves: Air Pollution

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to tackle air pollution from log burners.

Robbie Moore: Air quality is a devolved matter. In England, regulations introduced in 2020 put restrictions on the sale of wet wood for domestic burning, placed limits on the emission of sulphur and smoke from manufactured solid fuels and phased out the sale of bituminous coal (traditional house coal). Through the Environment Act 2021, we also introduced measures to streamline the enforcement of Smoke Control Areas (SCAs).Since 1 January 2022 all stoves placed on the market in the United Kingdom must be Ecodesign compliant. This is in addition to the separate requirement in Smoke Control Areas (SCAs) that householders can only burn approved fuels or use a Defra exempt appliance.The Environment Improvement Plan sets out further measures to reduce domestic combustion emissions. These include:Publishing outdoor burning best practice guidanceExtending the solid fuels legislation, including to fuels burned outsideTightening the limits that new stoves in SCAs must meetDriving a shift away from older, more polluting appliances to newer appliances which meet our tough new emission standards;Continuing our targeted communications campaign to promote best practice when burning As set out in our recent Air Quality Strategy, we also continue to work with local authorities to help them tackle emissions from domestic combustion in their communities. This includes funding relevant local projects through our 2023/24 Air Quality Grant.

Cats: Coronavirus

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the reported threat of the hybrid of an existing feline coronavirus arriving in the UK.

Mark Spencer: We are aware of this case of Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) in an imported kitten from Cyprus and the subsequent diagnostic testing and sequencing carried out at Edinburgh University and the Roslin Institute. Feline Infectious Peritonitis is caused by a mutation in a common feline coronavirus (FeC). This strain of virus is unrelated to those which cause SARS, SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans) or MERS. Most infections with feline coronavirus cause a mild diarrhoea but sometimes, if the virus mutates within the cat, it can cause a severe infection and in vulnerable kittens can cause high mortality. FeC is often found in multiple cat households, cat shelters and feral cat colonies, as is the case in Cyprus where many cats have died of FIP. At present, we understand this is an isolated case and there has been no transmission to other cats in contact with the kitten, but we are following the work closely through APHA’s Small Animal Expert Group to understand whether this has the potential to become an issue for the UK cat population. FeC is not a notifiable or reportable pathogen in the UK and there are no trade rules or quarantine rules for cat imports relating to FeC or FIP. There are guidelines provided by the British Small Animal Veterinary Association for how to deal with outbreaks in cat shelters, where spread can happen quickly and with certain highly pathogenic strains, can lead to high fatality rates.

Animals: Exports

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the number of smuggled animal exports in each of last five years; and whether she intends to bring forward legislation to ban live exports of (a) horses, (b) donkeys, (c) ponies and (d) all animals for slaughter.

Mark Spencer: No assessment has been made of “smuggled” animal exports.We will be bringing forward the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill in this session of Parliament. The Bill will ban the export from Great Britain of cattle; sheep; goats; pigs; and horses and other equines, including donkeys and ponies, for slaughter and fattening.

Church Commissioners

Church of St Peter and St Paul

Priti Patel: the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if the Church Commissioners will review the decision to demolish the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Birch, Essex.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners have been closely involved with local and diocesan discussions on the future of St Peter & St Paul, Birch. The Commissioners are responsible for the oversight and management of the relevant legislation and have ensured that the decision-making to allow demolition has followed due processWhilst the Commissioners have no plans to review the decision, it is now for the Diocese of Chelmsford to take forward the demolition (or not as they may decide).

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Theft

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what data their Department holds on the (a) number and (b) total cost of replacing (i) laptops, (ii) mobile phones, (iii) memory sticks and (iv) external hard drives that have been (A) lost and (B) stolen in the last year.

Andrew Griffith: Between 7th February 2023, when the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) was formed, to 10th November 2023, our records show the following devices were reported lost or stolen.  (A) Lost(B) StolenReplacement Cost(i) Laptop25£6,125 (£875 unit)(ii) Mobile Phone263£10,295 (£355 unit)DSIT has a policy for the controlled use of memory sticks and external hard drives. These are only permitted with a valid and approved business case and using authorised, hardware encrypted devices. Once approved, individual Directorates are responsible for controlling the memory sticks and external hard drives, therefore no figures on loss are held centrally. All end-user devices are encrypted and can be remotely locked.

Radio: Licensing

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of Ofcom's proposal to make Regional Secondary Locators optional for amateur radio licensees on the awareness of the (a) diversity and (b) unique nature of the nations of the UK by international audiences.

Sir John Whittingdale: Ofcom has assured us that it does recognise that Regional Secondary Locators (RSLs) have strong significance for some radio amateurs. Given this, Ofcom proposes to amend the licence and make the use of an RSL optional for licensees, while retaining the right for those that wish to use an RSL to continue to do so. This will avoid situations in which RSL users could breach their licence when crossing borders between nations. Internationally, the use of an RSL is not mandated or provided for by the overarching regulatory framework set out by the International Telecoms Union Radio Regulations.

STEM Subjects: Employment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much her Department has spent on communications campaigns related to diversity in the STEM workforce in the latest period for which data is available.

Andrew Griffith: The Government Science and Engineering Profession, based in the Government Office for Science, run campaigns to encourage diversity in government, within the GSE Profession. In FY 2022-2023 this totalled £27,378.78 and in FY 2023-2024, the spend to date for Q1 and Q2 totals £11,995.99.

Universities: Research

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to provide university researchers with access to designated officials across government.

Andrew Griffith: Most departments have a Chief Scientific Adviser responsible for delivering high-quality science advice. They directly advise ministers and colleagues and oversee mechanisms to ensure departments take account of, and commission, scientific and engineering evidence, including through Science Advisory Councils. Government Office for Science (GOS) works with departments on Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) to improve access to academic advice in policy making. In September 2023 GOS, published a database of departmental ARIs, which includes contact information to enable researchers to engage with policy. GOS also work with learned societies and university policy teams to improve links between government and academia.

Spaceflight: Expenditure

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the cost to the public purse was for the UK Spaceflight Programme as of 9 November 2023.

Andrew Griffith: As of November 2023, the total cost to the Exchequer of the UK Spaceflight Programme is £54.7 million. This funding has contributed to growing the UK’s launch capability, which is bringing new jobs and economic benefits to communities and organisations right across the UK, supporting the ambitions of the National Space Strategy, the Government’s levelling up agenda, and our vision for Global Britain.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Correspondence

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions (a) she and (b) officials in her Department had with (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in (A) No. 10 Downing Street and (B) the Cabinet Office before issuing her letter to Dame Ottoline Leyser dated 30 October.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will publish all correspondence between (a) her, (b) Ministers or (c) officials in her Department and  officials at UKRI between 30 October and 2 November.

Andrew Griffith: Ministers and officials at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are in regular contact with our arm’s-length bodies and other government departments. To support effective policy development and to reduce administration, we do not routinely publish details of each of these conversations. I refer the Hon. Member to the letter from my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology published on 28 October and the response from Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser sent on 30 October.(https://twitter.com/michelledonelan/status/1718291791861182514; https://www.ukri.org/publications/ceo-response-to-the-open-letter-from-the-secretary-of-state/)

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Civil Servants

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to Cabinet Office statistics on Permanent and temporary civil servants by sex, age band and department: 2023, published on 31 October 2023, how many permanent civil servants excluding agencies worked for her Department on 31 March (a) 2011, (b) 2016 and (c) 2020.

Andrew Griffith: On 2 October 2023, The Chancellor announced an immediate cap on civil servant headcount across Whitehall to stop any further expansion, increase efficiencies and boost productivity.The Civil Service grew in size to manage the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the illegal war in Ukraine but it is right that we reduce the size of the Civil Service over time as we drive up productivity and deliver efficiencies.The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) was formed in 2023, thus data for previous years is unavailable.Links to the predecessor departments can be found below:(a March 2020, table 8(b) March 2016, table 8(c) March 2011, table 8

Broadband: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding has been allocated to the Project Gigabit scheme by region as of 8 November 2023.

Sir John Whittingdale: Full details of Building Digital UK’s (BDUK) spend on Project Gigabit will be included in its Annual Report and Accounts, due to be published shortly. Project Gigabit funding is not allocated by region, instead it is targeted at premises across the UK that need it most, specifically those outside of suppliers' commercial plans. BDUK’s annual report and accounts will include a breakdown of gigabit-capable connections subsidised in each local authority area. As of 8 November, over £2 billion of funding has been made available to the market to extend gigabit-capable networks into hard-to-reach parts of the UK. BDUK publishes regular updates on the contracts it has awarded, and the pipeline of procurements in place across all regions. This includes the indicative value of planned contracts. The latest update was published in September and can be accessed at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/project-gigabit-progress-update-september-2023/project-gigabit-progress-update-september-2023

OneWeb

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has a veto on sales of OneWeb services that could post a risk to UK national security.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the Government possesses a veto over the location of OneWeb’s headquarters following the merger of OneWeb and Eutelsat.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she holds first-preference rights over OneWeb supply chain, manufacturing and launch opportunities that might be covered by UK companies.

Andrew Griffith: On completion of the merger between OneWeb and Eutelsat on 28 September 2023, OneWeb, the UK Government, Eutelsat S.A. and Eutelsat entered into a shareholders’ agreement in respect of OneWeb. Under the OneWeb Shareholder Agreement and the OneWeb Articles, certain matters require Government’s consent, including: entering into agreements which may prejudice the OneWeb Group’s ability to enter into agreements with the United States, United Kingdom or Five Eyes governments or which involve the sale of products or services which will be used for defence or national security purposes; andchanging the location of the executive management or headquarters or centre of operations of the OneWeb Group away from the United Kingdom.  In addition, for so long as the UK Government holds the special share, OneWeb is required to deliver an annual budget and business plan to the UK Government which, under the OneWeb Shareholder Agreement, provides that the OneWeb Group’s centre of operations will be in the UK, that priority for procurement for manufacturing shall be given to businesses in the UK on an arms’ length and commercially competitive basis (based on quality and cost of production), and that provisions will be made for procuring R&D and manufacturing from businesses in the UK on an arms’ length and commercially competitive basis (based on quality and cost of production). OneWeb is also required to procure that the United Kingdom is the preferred location for future launch capabilities subject to such location being commercially competitive.

Space: Vacancies

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to reduce skills shortages in the UK space industry.

Andrew Griffith: Reducing skills shortages for science and technology-based sectors, such as space, is a priority across Government, as set out in the 2023 Science and Technology Framework. The 2021 National Space Strategy commits to ‘upskilling and inspiring the space workforce’. In September 2023, DSIT and the UK Space Agency published the findings of the 2023 Space Sector Skills Survey, which highlights that nearly 95% of the organisations surveyed experience skills-related challenges. Government has committed to publishing a Space Workforce Action Plan in 2024, co-developed with industry and academia. The UK Space Agency will also invest over £4m in the next two years towards training to continue upskilling the sector’s workforce, as well as over £6m on inspiring the next generation of space scientists and engineers through educational and outreach activity.

Francis Crick Institute

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support spin-outs from the Francis Crick Institute.

Andrew Griffith: The Francis Crick Institute has produced 8 spin-out companies since being founded. The core grant that Government provides to the institute funds a commercialisation office that supports the creation of spin-outs. Crick Institute researchers and spin-out companies can apply to support programmes funded by UKRI, such as the Innovation to Commercialisation of University Research programme, the Medical Research Councils Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme and Innovate UK's Smart grants.

Science: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has had recent discussions with counterparts in the European Union about UK participation in framework programme 10.

Andrew Griffith: Once the bespoke deal for the UK’s association to Horizon Europe is adopted, the UK will be able to join the governance of EU programmes. This ensures that the UK can shape collaboration taking place under Horizon Europe going forward including discussions on the priorities of Framework Programme 10. This agreement secures UK association to Horizon Europe and Copernicus through to 2027 when these programmes finish. This gives UK researchers and businesses certainty over the access of this programme through to its conclusion in 2027 and for the remainder for 2023 where bids will continue to be assessed under transitional measures.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Equality

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to meet its public sector equality duty.

Andrew Griffith: Following the creation of the Department in early 2023, we are embedding PSED principles across areas of decision making. For example, PSED is considered as part of policy development and PSED considerations are mandated as part of our senior decision-making processes. Our approach builds on previous work carried out by the former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Cabinet Office (CO). In accordance with the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017, we will build on existing equality objectives from former departments, drawing on data and evidence to guide a strategic approach to our equalities work. We commit to publishing equality objectives in 2024, outlining priorities for how we carry out our public functions (as a public authority) and how we treat our staff (as an employer).

Science: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government has taken to map the geography of place-based science and research strengths.

Andrew Griffith: This Government has created, and will shortly publish, an interactive digital tool to map the UK’s innovation clusters. The tool is the first of its kind will give investors, researchers and policymakers unprecedented visibility of the UK’s established and emerging science and research strengths and innovation assets. By providing investors and others with more insight into the breadth of innovation strengths and opportunities that exist right across the UK, this tool will support our ambition to drive more investment into the UK’s clusters of R&D and Innovation excellence.

Ministry of Justice

Legal Aid Scheme

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the (a) annual saving to the Legal Aid fund of removing passporting through the means test for those earning more than £500 per month who are in receipt of Universal Credit and (b) additional annual cost to the Legal Aid fund of passporting homeowners in receipt of Universal Credit through the capital assessment part of the means test.

Mike Freer: The new legal aid means test will comprise a wide range of closely inter-related policy elements to be delivered simultaneously. This includes introducing a £500 monthly earnings threshold for UC recipients who are currently passported through the income assessment for civil legal aid, as well as limiting the passporting of UC recipients through the civil legal aid capital assessment solely to those who are non-home owners. Taking all these policy elements into account, will lead to additional spending in steady state for civil legal aid of up to £24 million per year. Whilst not all policy elements apply equally to the criminal legal aid scheme, the comparable impact on annual steady state spending for criminal legal aid rises up to £5 million. These ranges assume that all recipients of legacy welfare benefits have been transitioned onto UC. Legal Aid Means Test Review - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Family Courts

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many open family cases there are in each Designated Family Judge area for (a) public and (b) private family law; and what proportion of those cases in each area involve litigants in person in (i) 31 March 2011, (ii) 31 March 2016 and (iii) 31 March 2019.

Mike Freer: The information requested is provided in the data tables below and is taken from HMCTS administrative data systems. We have not been able to provide figures for 2011 as this data was not recorded centrally before 2014.Count of the Private and Public Law Open Caseload as at the 31st March 2016 broken down to include cases without a representative DESIGNATED FAMILY JUDGE AREAPublic Law Open CaseloadPrivate Law Open Caseload Unrepresented1RepresentedTotalUnrepresented1RepresentedTotal Birmingham651862517303171047 Blackburn/Lancaster36258294379228607 Bournemouth and Dorset1911313220494298 Brighton44141185454183637 Bristol (A, NS and G)35193228338205543 Carlisle16738912653179 Central London12032544516006222222 Cleveland and South Durham36166202215152367 Coventry17124141279154433 Derby19100119172126298 Devon39167206285180465 East London9528538010004471447 Essex and Suffolk64198262554306860 Guildford315889204117321 Humberside34122156285115400 Leicester28123151230145375 Lincoln8677514297239 Liverpool1063644707083631071 Luton14819525699355 Manchester1393204597773981175 Medway and Canterbury52184236312100412 Milton Keynes24176200328170498 North Wales1585100122144266 North Yorkshire12425414193234 Northampton3712115820883291 Northumbria and North Durham82380462485296781 Norwich239011320390293 Nottingham25119144294207501 Peterborough and Cambridge1810612417086256 Portsmouth (Hampshire and IOW)31150181499248747 Reading28116144299176475 South East Wales33209242392272664 South Yorkshire48235283429230659 Stoke on Trent25111136274177451 Swansea33109142152196348 Swindon95362248118366 Taunton129210410351154 Truro5465111680196 Watford33109142260142402 West London732703437173711088 West Yorkshire43304347572349921 Wolverhampton58208266352198550 Worcester156883158110268 (blank)37161198135105240 Grand Total17367008874415907849324400 Count of the Private and Public Law Open Caseload as at the 31st March 2019 broken down to include cases without a representative DESIGNATED FAMILY JUDGE AREAPublic Law Open CaseloadPrivate Law Open Caseload Unrepresented1RepresentedTotalUnrepresented1RepresentedTotal Birmingham641802449734121385 Blackburn/Lancaster913374287473131060 Bournemouth and Dorset108393254141395 Brighton26177203506235741 Bristol (A, NS and G)542252796663391005 Carlisle238911216393256 Central London13432045414676852152 Cleveland and South Durham65240305305182487 Coventry42180222365213578 Derby40245285267197464 Devon45172217481337818 East London13234347516588032461 Essex and Suffolk8222030210004281428 Guildford4495139396185581 Humberside53146199409127536 Leicester44128172450232682 Lincoln1698114280156436 Liverpool16141457510684891557 Luton245579272115387 Manchester18546264712845621846 Medway and Canterbury52167219536251787 Milton Keynes39200239475212687 North Wales30108138180141321 North Yorkshire113950264157421 Northampton2212314526499363 Northumbria and North Durham17543861310045691573 Norwich51139190324167491 Nottingham28160188464244708 Peterborough and Cambridge22126148296167463 Portsmouth (Hampshire and IOW)412062477443311075 Reading23145168488244732 South East Wales572433006704321102 South Yorkshire45336381587341928 Stoke on Trent48193241402221623 Swansea22140162298322620 Swindon108292241110351 Taunton66369164110274 Truro95665166113279 Watford148498424183607 West London6434440812005631763 West Yorkshire1273474749815611542 Wolverhampton60333393556349905 Worcester235780200163363 (blank)125870282149 Grand Total2326839610722239671231536282

Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 25 October 2023 to Question 203252 on Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service, what the (a) number and (b) value was of claims arising from provision of early advice by Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service providers as of 13 November 2023, based on the Contact Report Forms submitted to the Legal Aid Agency up to that date.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 25 October 2023 to Question 203253 on Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service, what the (a) number and (b) value was of claims arising from provision of in court duty assistance by Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service providers as of 13 November 2023, based on the Contact Report Forms submitted to the Legal Aid Agency up to that date.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 25 October 2023 to Question 203254 on Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service, how much has been paid out to Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service providers in respect of their provision of (a) early advice and (b) in court duty assistance as of 13 November 2023.

Mike Freer: As of 13 November, 79 claims with a value of £14,797.83 have been submitted to and processed by the LAA in respect of the provision of early legal advice by HLPAS providers. As of 13 November, 3,868 claims with a value of £408,894.92 have been submitted to and processed by the LAA in respect of in-court duty assistance by HLPAS providers. As of 13 November, a total of £14,797.83 has been paid to service providers in respect of the provision of early advice. A total of £405,248.03 has been paid to service providers in respect of the provision of in-court duty assistance. Payments for HLPAS work are paid a month in arrears. The response provided only covers payments which have been subject to a full validation process. The amount paid by the LAA may differ to the amount claimed if any errors or anomalies are identified. Notes on data:The data regarding claim volume and value has been extracted from information processed by the LAA on 14 November 2023. The data is subject to change as the LAA continues to process and validate claims it receives.The data is Management Information manually collated by the LAA based on information received via provider submissions. Although every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete, it is important to note that the data has been extracted from data sets which require a degree of manual input. As a consequence, the data can change over time and care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when data is used.

Prisoners: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for which Wales has a proportionally higher prison population per 100,000 than England.

Edward Argar: Prison capacity and population movements are managed nationally across England and Wales. There are over 5,500 prison places in Wales including a 2,000 place prison, HMP Berwyn, which opened in 2017. Geographically HMP Berwyn is near to the Northwest of England and holds a significant number of prisoners sentenced by courts in that region as well as prisoners originating in Wales. UK nationals have a nationality of British. While holding an individual close to their home is an important consideration in the placement of prisoners, HMPPS does not identify or record prisoners as English or Welsh. Someone with an address in England may consider themselves to be Welsh, while someone with an address in Wales may not.

Rye Hill Prison

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of implications for his policies of the findings in the 2022-23 annual report of the HMP Rye Hill Independent Monitoring Board that the prison has (a) inadequate resettlement support in place for those leaving and (b) significant challenges to maintaining fair and humane treatment; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of these findings on rates of recidivism.

Edward Argar: The care and rehabilitation of prisoners are matters that the Ministry of Justice and H M Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) take very seriously. We respond to all issues raised in reports we receive from Independent Monitoring Boards, and take action as appropriate. The report notes that finding accommodation in Approved Premises can be problematic. We recognise, and are addressing, this issue. In recent years we have undertaken an Approved Premises expansion programme, which has delivered 169 additional spaces, including the first purpose-built site. We are also developing a new digitalised approach to referrals, through a national Central Referral Unit that will oversee assessment for suitability and eligibility, and match individuals to placements, while maximising occupancy and use of Approved Premises capacity across the country. This new approach is being piloted in the North East. Underpinned by the Department’s demand analysis, it will enable HMPPS to improve timeliness and allow greater consistency and responsivity. The section of the Independent Monitoring Board’s report devoted to fair and humane treatment notes the challenges unavoidably arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, and comments favourably on the prison’s proactive approach in prioritising a return to business as usual, including arranging for prisoners to undertake activity on a daily basis. The report notes that, when interviewed, prisoners were understanding of the need for restrictions and appreciated the efforts the prison had made to return to a normal regime as quickly as possible through the year. We were encouraged to receive the Board’s comments on the extensive prisoner-led initiatives across a range of topics that have promoted a sense of community and improved staff and prisoner relationships. This can only be beneficial in improving prospects for successful resettlement and rehabilitation on release.

Department for Transport

Aviation: Prices

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of charging airline passengers in line with their body weight.

Anthony Browne: Aviation is a competitive private sector business. I see no need to try to tell them how to price their products.

Transport for London: Staff

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with the Mayor of London on the adequacy of staffing levels at Transport for London.

Huw Merriman: The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with the Mayor regarding staffing levels at Transport for London (TfL). Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor and TfL, so operational and policy decisions, including staffing levels for TfL, are a matter solely for them.

Aviation: Hydrogen

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Aerospace Technology Institute Fly Zero project, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the use of hydrogen in long haul aviation.

Anthony Browne: The conclusions made by the FlyZero project were used to inform the Government’s Jet Zero Strategy, which was published in July 2022, and sets out the Government’s approach to achieving net zero 2050 for UK aviation. The use of hydrogen is considered in the Zero Emission Flight chapter of the Strategy. The Strategy anticipates that hydrogen will be first deployed in short haul aviation with recognised uncertainty on the potential for and timing of its scaling up for use in long haul. As with all measures in the Jet Zero Strategy the Government keeps the evidence base under regular review and any changes will be reflected in future updates to the Strategy. Building on the recommendations of the FlyZero project, the Government, through the Department for Business and Trade, are funding the initial phase of a Hydrogen Capability Network. This project aims to define the operating model for open-access facilities designed to accelerate the development of liquid hydrogen aircraft technologies, capabilities, and skills in the UK. The Government continues its work with industry and academia through the Jet Zero Council to drive the delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions. In 2022 a Delivery Group of the Council was established on Zero Emission Flight, which considers the use of hydrogen in meeting net zero aviation by 2050.

Railways: Standards

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of train journeys by each train operating company which did not stop at a scheduled station due to late running in the last year.

Huw Merriman: The Department does not hold all information regarding the proportion of train journeys by each train operating company which did not stop at a scheduled station due to late running.

Newcastle Station: Access

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's planned timetable is for publishing the outcome of the accessibility audit of Newcastle Central station.

Huw Merriman: Accessibility audits of all 2,575 GB mainline rail stations, including Newcastle Central, have now been completed and quality assured. Work is ongoing to consider how to make the data available to the public and policy makers.

Taxis: Newcastle upon Tyne

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the availability of wheelchair accessible private hire vehicles in Newcastle.

Guy Opperman: Local licensing authorities have an important role to play in ensuring disabled people can access the taxi and private hire vehicle services that they rely upon. In 2022 we consulted on updated best practice guidance, including recommending that authorities use their existing powers to licence mixed fleets of taxis and PHVs incorporating sufficient wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) to satisfy the demand from passengers who rely upon them. The substantive guidance will be published later this year. We also supported the passage of the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Act 2022, which introduced important protections for disable passengers when using taxis and PHVs.

Aviation: Fuels

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the comparative potential merits of different sustainable air fuels in the context of variation of lifecycle emissions within fuels denoted as the same type.

Anthony Browne: Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can be easily blended with conventional jet fuel and then used in existing aircraft and engines. We recognise that SAF can be made from different low carbon feedstocks and technology pathways, and that the detail of these impact the lifecycle emission savings from the fuel. When using sustainable feedstocks, such as wastes or renewable electricity, to produce SAF, its use can reduce carbon emissions by 70% compared to conventional jet fuel. The SAF mandate, which will mandate jet fuel suppliers to supply increasing levels of SAF in the UK, will start in 2025. As a greenhouse gas (GHG) based scheme, it will encourage suppliers to source SAF that achieves the greatest emission reductions. It will also require the supplied SAF to meet a minimum emission reduction threshold, further strengthening our intention to support SAF that meets the highest sustainability criteria. In 2022, under the renewable transport fuel obligation (RTFO) 48 million litres of SAF were supplied in the UK, with a reported average of 90% emission reductions. We expect the SAF mandate to build upon these volumes and increase the demand for SAF in the UK.

Aviation: Hydrogen

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on the processes it has in place for the licensing of hydrogen in aviation (a) testing and (b) programmes.

Anthony Browne: The Government works closely with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK’s independent aviation regulator.Baroness Vere met with new CAA CEO Rob Bishton on 26 October and discussions included the CAA’s approach to regulating innovative technologies that will support decarbonisation of the sector.The CAA are active participants in the Jet Zero Council, the forum that brings together Government, industry and academia to drive the delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions and co-chaired by the Secretaries of State for Transport, Business and Trade and Energy Security and Net Zero. The CAA attended the ninth Jet Zero Council, held on 8 November, and also chair a Regulatory Sub-Group within the Zero Emission Flight Delivery Group of the Council.The CAA is supporting the testing of hydrogen in aviation by a range of UK organisations. As one example ZeroAvia, with CAA permissions, are currently test flying an aircraft using hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion in Gloucestershire.The CAA have also established a Hydrogen Regulatory Challenge which will run for 18 months from October 2023 supported by funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Regulatory Pioneers Fund.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Standards

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with Govia Thameslink on improving (a) reliability and (b) punctuality on that line.

Huw Merriman: My officials have regular discussions with Govia Thameslink Railway on their ongoing work to improve performance and deliver the reliable and punctual service that passengers expect.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Standards

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of trains were cancelled on the Govia Thameslink rail line due to a shortage of available trains in the last 12 months.

Huw Merriman: In the last 12 months, Govia Thameslink Railway have operated 349,462 Thameslink services. GTR report that 903 (0.26%) of these services were cancelled due to a shortage of available trains.

High Speed 2 Line

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he had with Cabinet colleagues between July and September 2023 on the decision to cancel phase two of HS2.

Huw Merriman: The Secretary of State regularly has discussions with Cabinet colleagues on various matters, including HS2.

Aviation: Fuels

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the sustainable aviation fuel price support mechanism on the (a) price of such fuel and (b) adoption of (i) fuel-efficient technology and (ii) hydrogen implementation.

Anthony Browne: Government has committed to launching a consultation on the options for designing and implementing a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) revenue certainty scheme by the end of April 2024, in line with the statutory commitment made in the Energy Act 2023. This consultation, along with key Government policies such as the SAF mandate and Advanced Fuels Fund aim to support the development of a UK SAF industry. Government will assess the impacts of a revenue certainty mechanism on fuel pricing and technology as part of that consultation.

Aviation: Carbon Emissions

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to support UK SMEs developing innovative decarbonisation technologies in the aviation sector other than through the Aerospace Technology Institute.

Anthony Browne: The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is responsible for aerospace manufacturing, however the Department for Transport (DfT) is supporting UK SMEs to develop technology for use at airports to support the decarbonisation of the aviation sector. In October, DfT announced the latest round of Transport Research and Innovation Grant (TRIG) funding which includes £450,000 for up to 10 projects that either facilitate the development of airport ground infrastructure for zero emission aircraft or support airport operations in their transition to zero emission. TRIG is open to UK registered SMEs, large companies and universities. The Government also works with industry and academia through the Jet Zero Council, co-chaired by the Secretaries of State for Transport, Business and Trade and Energy Security and Net Zero, to drive the delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions.

Railways: Cost Effectiveness

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the internal analysis with which his Department estimated that £1.5 billion could be saved within five years by delivery of the planned efficiencies set out in the the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, published in May 2021, CP 423.

Huw Merriman: We're committed to reforming the railways and we are getting on with delivering improvements for passengers, freight customers and the taxpayer. As outlined in the Plan for Rail, industry experts suggested savings of £1.5bn per annum could be achieved through rail reform after an initial five-year implementation period. Work continues to develop plans to deliver these savings.

Railways: Contracts

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 11 October 2022 to Question 53555 on Railways: Contracts, for what reason his Department has not updated data on fees paid to train operating companies since September 2021; and if he will publish that data.

Huw Merriman: The Department publishes fees data after performance scores have been determined. Fees data, for the period up to September 2021, was published on 15 December 2022. The Department intends to publish updated operational support and fees data in the coming months.

Regional Airports

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with representatives of regional airports on taking steps to increase the number of routes that are available at each airport.

Anthony Browne: The Department regularly engages with regional airports to discuss a variety of important issues. Where opportunities for new commercial flights exist, airports, Local Authorities, local enterprise partnerships, local businesses and other stakeholders can work together to establish the case for commercial flights and work with airline partners to create new connections for their communities.

Railways: Fares

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had discussions with the Office of Rail and Road on the (a) cost and (b) availability of off-peak fares on the rail route between Lydney and Gloucester.

Huw Merriman: The fares between Lydney and Gloucester are set by Transport for Wales (TfW). As with any other train operator, the availability of off-peak fares on this route is a matter for TfW. Although their operations in England are governed by a set of Devolution Agreements with DfT, this does not stipulate which fares products must be available between certain stations.

High Speed 2 Line: Land

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the value was of (a) land, (b) property and (c) businesses that were purchased as part of HS2 phase (i) 2a and (ii) 2b in the period between 20 July 2023 and 4 October 2023.

Huw Merriman: Please see response to Answer UIN 860 for the committed expenditure during August and September 2023. It is not practicable to draw a distinction between how much of this spend is on acquisition versus compensation.

High Speed 2 Line: North West

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate the Government had made of the number of new homes that would have been built in the North West if HS2 Phase 2a and 2b had been delivered.

Huw Merriman: The Government has made no such estimate.

High Speed 2 Line: Minerals

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the change in the amount of granite that will be mined as a result of the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2.

Huw Merriman: No granite would have been mined for the construction of the Phase 2 route from Birmingham to Manchester because granite does not occur naturally in the ground along the chosen route

West Coast Main Line: Repairs and Maintenance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 23 October 2023 to Question 203073 on Railways: Greater Manchester, whether funding for Network North will be allocated to track upgrades on the West Coast Mainline.

Huw Merriman: High Speed 2 (HS2) will now be delivered between Euston in central London and the West Midlands as planned, with a branch to Handsacre, near Lichfield, where there is a plan for HS2 services to travel to Liverpool, Manchester and Scotland via the West Coast Main Line (WCML). Following the announcement of Network North, the Department is also working with industry to develop the plan for a train service to maximise the use of the WCML. Network Rail will also consider the implications of Network North for the West Coast Main Line when planning its future operations, maintenance and renewals.

Railways: Access

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to reallocate funds from HS2 to (a) improve accessibility across the rail network and (b) increase levels of Access for All funding.

Huw Merriman: As part of our recent Network North announcement, the Government confirmed £350m will be made available to improve the accessibility of our train stations. We are assessing over 300 nominations for Access for All funding beyond 2024. Successful nominations will be announced in due course.

Railway Stations: Staff

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of (a) ticket office and (b) station staff at railway stations.

Huw Merriman: Staffing levels at railway stations is a matter for each train operator, who are obliged under the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement to ensure sufficient staffing to ensure ticket offices are open at the published times.

East Coast Main Line: Weather

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the operational resilience of the East Coast Main Line to extreme weather events.

Huw Merriman: Climate change could increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather and Network Rail is planning now in order to provide a safe, reliable network in the future. Network Rail works closely with many governmental and specialist organisations to prepare our railway for the climate changes projected over the next few years, decades and beyond. As part of its work in this area, Network Rail recently launched a taskforce led by independent experts to investigate and make recommendations on how the railway can develop its approach to resilience. East Coast route is working closely with the taskforce to take forward its recommendations to ensure the line is resilient to extreme weather.

Railways: Crew

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to reduce the presence of guards on trains.

Huw Merriman: The Government is committed to reforming outdated working practices and improving the operational and financial sustainability of the sector. Train operating companies as the employer can consider where roles can be more adaptable and flexible in future. The UK’s rail network is one of the safest in Europe and our commitment to safety will not change. We will never compromise the safety of passengers on our railways and as the industry takes forward reforms, safety remains a top priority for all parties.

Railways: Fares

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of rail fares available from (a) Ticket Vending Machines and (b) online ticketing are not available from in-person ticket offices.

Huw Merriman: Train operators are required under the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA) to provide certain products at ticket offices they operate, for example Anytime and Off-peak products. It is the responsibility of train operators to determine their own retailing strategy. We would expect train operators to take into consideration a range of factors when determining which fares are available from ticket offices.

Railways: Fares

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has determined the level of increase in rail fares for 2024.

Huw Merriman: We will continue to protect passengers from cost-of-living pressures and we will not increase next year’s rail fares by as much as the July RPI figure. Any increase will also be delayed until March 2024, temporarily freezing fares for passengers to travel at a lower price for the entirety of January and February as the Government continues with its plan to halve inflation.

Railways: Fares

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the range of rail fares available from ticket offices.

Huw Merriman: Train operators are required under the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement to provide certain products at ticket offices they operate, for example Anytime and Off-peak products. It is the responsibility of train operators to determine their own retailing strategy. We would expect train operators to take into consideration a range of factors when determining which fares are available from ticket offices.

Railway Stations: Reform

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the cost to train operating companies of the mandates on station reform issued by his Department in 2023.

Huw Merriman: This was an industry led consultation and no estimate of costs are available.

Transport: North of England

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on Network North plans.

Huw Merriman: The Secretary of State is in regular contact with my Cabinet Colleagues to ensure the effective delivery of Network North.

Transport: North of England

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of how many and proportion of the proposals in his Department's Network North paper he plans to implement.

Huw Merriman: The projects listed in Network North have business cases at various stages in the approval process, many are still in the early to mid-stages of business development. We are now working with our delivery partners for each project to develop realistic and affordable plans for delivery.

Transport: North of England

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress he has made on (a) funding and (b) planned timescales for Network North proposals.

Huw Merriman: Many of the projects announced under Network North already have funding allocated and are being delivered, such as the £2 bus fare cap and investment in road resurfacing. We are now working with our delivery partners for each project to develop realistic and affordable plans for delivery.

East Coast Main Line: Railway Signals

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many signalling failures there have been on the East Cost Main Line in the last six months; and if he will make an assessment of the impact of these signalling failures on passengers.

Huw Merriman: Over the past six months, there have been 132 signalling-only failures across the whole of the East Coast Main Line. We recognise that signal failures can be highly disruptive to passengers’ journeys. We are in regular contact with Network Rail, who are responsible for signalling infrastructure, and train operators to reduce the number of signal failures, the time that the infrastructure is out of action whilst repairs are undertaken and the overall impact on passengers.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Ian Levy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on the roll-out of electric vehicle charging points on the motorway network.

Anthony Browne: Around 96% of motorway service areas (MSAs) in England have charging available. There are now 260 ultra-rapid (150kw+) chargepoints, and more than 480 open-access (can be used with any electric vehicle) rapid (50kW) and ultra-rapid chargepoints at MSAs in total. The Rapid Charging Fund (RCF) will help to future-proof electrical capacity at strategic locations where it is not currently commercially viable for industry to do so in order to enable a visible, functional and long-distance charging network, which is vital for mass EV adoption.The RCF will also support the market to deliver and grow by subsidising the uncommercial costs of new or additional electricity connections. In addition, the RCF will ensure that the private sector can continue to expand the charging network and future-proof electricity network capacity 10 years ahead to a minimum of 2035, with a stretch target of 2050. A pilot for the RCF is expected to open for applications soon.

Rapid Transit Systems: Bristol

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of Government support for a mass transit system in Bristol.

Guy Opperman: Local authorities are primarily responsible for developing and assessing mass transit proposals, taking into account challenges and opportunities for local transport users as well as funding considerations.Through Network North, the Government has earmarked significant additional funding for driving better connectivity within our towns and cities. The West of England Combined Authority’s second City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (2027/28 to 2031/32) has been uplifted by £100 million, providing the region with a £752 million indicative allocation for the period.City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements allow Combined Authorities to deliver transformative local transport projects based on local priorities. Combined Authorities may use this funding to deliver mass transit schemes proportionate to local need.

Delivery Services: Robots

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress his Department has made on the research that it has funded into the (a) operation and (b) regulation of autonomous pavement robots; what the timetable is for the conclusion of this research; and whether he plans to publish the findings of any research that has already been concluded.

Anthony Browne: Research to further our understanding of the impacts of self-driving technology in “autonomous pavement robots”, is planned to be undertaken in the next 12 months, and is expected to last 6 to 9 months. The results are due to be published in line with the government research protocols, particularly those relating to commercial confidentiality.

Electric Scooters: Hire Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of the results of rental e-scooter trials; and whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the regulation of such scooters.

Anthony Browne: The Department has collected robust evidence on the e-scooter trials, but with what is still relatively new technology there remains things that can be learnt. The Department will extend e-scooter trials to 31 May 2026, and use this additional time to supplement our evidence and draw on further experience. The Government remains committed to legislating when parliamentary time allows.

Electric Scooters: Hire Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to extend rental e-scooter trials beyond May 2024.

Anthony Browne: The Government will extend e-scooter trials beyond May 2024 for a further two years, to 31 May 2026.

Bicycles and Electric Vehicles: Parking

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing dedicated parking locations for (a) shared bikes, (b) e-bikes and (c) scooters.

Anthony Browne: Dedicated locations for cycle parking is a matter for local authorities. In 2020 the Department published guidance on cycle infrastructure design, which includes guidance for local authorities on providing cycle parking.Local authorities, in partnership with e-scooter rental operators, are responsible for running the e-scooter trials and are able to control how they run in their areas. This can include specifying where e-scooters should be parked or docked.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Working Hours

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support families' with childcare following changes to work related activity requirements for lead carers.

Jo Churchill: From 28 June 2023, the DWP will now provide even more help with upfront childcare costs for parents on Universal Credit who wish to move into or progress in work.At the same time, we have also increased the generosity of the Universal Credit childcare costs maximum amounts by nearly 50%.These changes are part of a much wider package of generous childcare reforms including a phased introduction of 30 hours of free childcare for almost all working parents of children aged between nine months and three years of age.

Jobcentres: Training

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will provide new learning and development materials for Jobcentre work coaches to help ensure that claimant commitments for lead carers reflect individual circumstances.

Jo Churchill: DWP new entrant work coaches complete a comprehensive mandatory learning journey enabling them to treat each customer as an individual regardless of their circumstances.The learning journey includes specific modules on claimant commitments and carers which provide the work coach with the knowledge and skills to tailor the commitment to individuals based on their needs.We also provide work coaches with access to point of need learning about supporting lead carers, this can be accessed by both new and existing work coaches as and when they require additional support.

Jobcentres: Training

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to publish new guidance for Jobcentre work coaches on managing claimant commitments for lead carers of children aged between three and 12.

Jo Churchill: The department has no current plans to publish new guidance for Jobcentre work coaches on managing claimant commitments for lead carers of children aged between 3 and 12.

Department for Work and Pensions: China

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether senior officials from his Department have travelled to China since January 2019.

Paul Maynard: The information required is not retained by Grade. However, the total number of DWP staff that have travelled to China and/or Hong Kong from January 2019 to present is 151, with 2 of these being official business trips.

Local Housing Allowance: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Local Housing Allowance for people living in York in the context of recent trends in the level of rental costs.

Mims Davies: The department works closely with stakeholders, jobcentres, and local authorities to understand the impact of its policies. Local Housing Allowance (LHA) policy is reviewed annually by the Secretary of State. It would not be appropriate to pre-empt the outcome of this review. In 2021/22 the Government spent almost £30 billion to support renters in both the private and social rented sector. This is forecast to rise to £31 billion in 2023/24. Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates were boosted by almost £1 billion in 2020, this significant investment has been kept annually to maintain rates at 2020 levels. LHA rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas. For those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs and need further support. Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. Since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.7 billion in DHP funding to local authorities. Overall, the Government is providing total support of over £94 billion over 2022/23 and 2023/24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living.

Suicide: Police

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to recognise police officer (a) suicides and (b) attempted suicides as work-related accidents under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.

Mims Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ819.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Streaming: Age Assurance

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that streaming content is age appropriate for viewers.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Media Bill, introduced to Parliament on 8 November, will give Ofcom new powers to draft and enforce a Video-on-demand Code, aimed at mainstream TV-like on-demand services. This will be similar to the Broadcasting Code, which sets out appropriate standards for content on linear television. The Code will include new rules for on-demand content including rules on harmful and offensive material, and specific protections for under-eighteens.Ofcom will also be given an enhanced ongoing duty to assess video-on-demand providers’ audience protection measures, such as pin codes, content warnings, and age ratings, to ensure that the systems put in place to protect younger audiences are effective and fit for purpose.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Theft

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what data their Department holds on the (a) number and (b) total cost of replacing (i) laptops, (ii) mobile phones, (iii) memory sticks and (iv) external hard drives that have been (A) lost and (B) stolen in the last year.

Sir John Whittingdale: The following table includes the number of lost/stolen devices in the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) from 1 January 2023 to 31 October 2023. LostStolenLaptops16Mobile phones24Memory sticks00External hard drives00Lost and Stolen devices are not replaced on an individual basis, all assets are managed as part of a pooled resource model and replenished as part of their end to end lifecycle.All departmental IT has device encryption enabled, at rest and is fully security encrypted, to prevent unauthorised access.The departmental security unit, records and investigates each reported loss from the department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.Any mobile device reported as lost is immediately and remotely deactivated and the contents deleted. The user account on any laptop reported as lost is immediately and remotely locked.There has been no data loss or compromise resulting from these losses.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Women

John Nicolson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of civil servants on temporary contracts in her Department are women.

Sir John Whittingdale: Please refer to the published data here.In the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) based on the latest published data linked above 66.7% of temporary staff are female (20 out of 30).The number of female staff on temporary contracts divided by the total number of staff on temporary contracts at the department.This includes DCMS employees only, no executive agencies or non-ministerial departments have been included.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Women

John Nicolson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of SCS2 civil servants on full-time equivalent contracts in her Department are women.

Sir John Whittingdale: In the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) 33% of SCS2’s in DCMS are women on full-time contracts. This does not capture the total female/male headcount split at SCS2, as DCMS employs a number of male and female staff part-time at that grade.This data has been calculated as at 1st November 2023.The number of female staff at Payband 2 (Director) and working full-time divided by the total number of staff at the department at Payband 2 (where sex is known).This figure includes employees of DCMS and no executive agencies or non-ministerial departments have been included.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Civil Servants

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Cabinet Office statistics on Permanent and temporary civil servants by sex, age band and department: 2023, published on 31 October 2023, how many permanent civil servants excluding agencies worked for her Department on 31 March (a) 2011, (b) 2016 and (c) 2020.

Sir John Whittingdale: Please refer to the published data at the below links:(a) March 2011, table 8(b) March 2016, table 8(c) March 2020, table 8The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s data is displayed in the below table providing FTE and Headcount figures at the requested dates:YearHeadcountFTE2011570560201612101160202012801250

BBC: Political Impartiality

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Director General of the BBC on impartiality in its coverage of the Israel and Gaza conflict.

Sir John Whittingdale: The BBC has a duty to provide accurate and impartial news and information. That is particularly important when it comes to coverage of highly sensitive events. The BBC’s accuracy and impartiality is critical to viewer trust.The events in Israel since 7 October are terrorist acts committed by a terrorist organisation, proscribed in the United Kingdom since 2021 and designated as such by many other governments and international organisations.The BBC is editorially and operationally independent and decisions around its editorial policies and guidelines are therefore a matter for the BBC.However, calling these acts what they are, and accurately labelling the perpetrators, helps audiences to understand what has happened, is happening and its context.That is why the Secretary of State has communicated with the BBC, and with the public, her disappointment that the BBC has refused to describe Hamas as terrorists, or the atrocities it has carried out as terrorism. The Secretary of State made that point to the BBC on multiple occasions since the terrorist attacks on 7 October.As the external independent regulator of the BBC, Ofcom is responsible for ensuring BBC coverage is duly impartial and accurate under the Broadcasting Code and BBC Charter. Ofcom has been clear that responsibility lies with the BBC to decide the vocabulary it uses to describe unfolding events. The Broadcasting Code does not prevent broadcasters referring to terrorist organisations, nor does it prevent them referring to Hamas as terrorists.

BBC: Competition

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of competition between the BBC and the commercial radio sector.

Sir John Whittingdale: The BBC has responsibilities set out in its Charter to avoid unnecessary adverse impacts on the market, including on the commercial radio sector. It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of the BBC, to hold the BBC to account on this.However, commercial radio now represents a majority (54% as of Q3 2023, according to RAJAR data) of radio listening in the UK, with BBC stations accounting for 44%.The Government is currently undertaking the Mid-Term Review of the BBC’s Charter, which will look at how the BBC and Ofcom assess the market impact of the BBC in an evolving marketplace, and how that relates to the wider UK media ecology, including the commercial radio sector. We will publish the results of the review in due course.

Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had recent discussions with (a) representatives and (b) Members of the Diversity in the Public Realm Commission on that initiative.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his Department has had with (a) representatives and (b) all members of the Diversity in the Public Realm Commission.

Sir John Whittingdale: The department has held no recent discussions with representatives or members of the Diversity in the Public Realm Commission.

Sports: Finance

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to provide funding for the additional sports that will be included at the Olympics in 2028.

Stuart Andrew: We welcome the additional sports that have been approved for the LA28 Olympic Programme.UK Sport’s investment process for Los Angeles is underway with currently funded sports, in line with their strategic plan. UK Sport will consider new sports that have been added to the programme. Should they make a case for investment, it would be considered alongside the currently funded sports in UK Sport’s evaluation process.

Charities: Equality

Michael Shanks: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the level of diversity within charity leadership and trustee boards on those organisations.

Stuart Andrew: Trustee diversity is essential for a thriving charity sector that reflects the people and communities charities serve.During Trustees’ Week, which took place 6-10 November 2023, the Charity Commission encouraged people from all backgrounds to consider becoming a charity trustee.A diverse range of experiences on a trustee board can create more opportunities for constructive challenge, and can help make a charity stronger.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: China

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether senior officials from her Department have travelled to China since January 2019.

Graham Stuart: Details of travel by Senior Civil Servants are recorded in the Government's transparency date, which is published at: https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/e05c7e01-4ace-46b6-bfab-341217cc35fc/beis-senior-officials-business-expenses-hospitality-and-meetings

Renewable Energy: Community Development

Sir Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State of 5 September 2023 on Energy Bill [Lords], Official Report, column 281, when he plans to (a) publish the first annual report to Parliament on the community energy sector and (b) launch the consultation on the barriers the sector faces when developing projects.

Graham Stuart: Government is working with the Community Energy Contact Group on the content of the annual report and consultation. Until these discussions have concluded, the Government is unable to outline a definitive timeline.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make it her policy to apply community benefit to offshore wind farms.

Graham Stuart: Offshore windfarm developers already provide a range of community benefit packages which are developed in consultation with local communities. For projects based in Scotland, developers follow the Scottish Government’s Offshore Energy Good Practice Principles when creating a community benefit package. The Government consulted on proposals for voluntary guidance for community benefits for electricity transmission network infrastructure. The consultation proposed to introduce voluntary guidance on the appropriate levels and forms of benefits to give communities the knowledge, power and flexibility to decide what benefits they want in consultation with the project developer. The consultation stated that this should apply for onshore infrastructure developed by offshore wind.

Energy Charter Treaty

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her Department's timescales are for completing its review of the UK's membership of the Energy Charter Treaty; and if she will make a statement.

Graham Stuart: On 1 September 2023, the UK announced it would be reviewing its membership of the ECT if the modernised Treaty was not adopted by November 2023. The Government is considering the views of stakeholders in business, civil society, and Parliament as part of this process. Parliament will be informed at the earliest opportunity.

Electricity Interconnectors: France

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she plans to make a decision on the AQUIND interconnector project in 2023.

Graham Stuart: The proposed AQUIND Interconnector Project is a live planning application, currently being redetermined by my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State. There is no statutory deadline for the redetermination of this application.

Energy: Conservation

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to assist homeowners living in conservation areas to improve the energy-efficiency of their homes.

Graham Stuart: Work is ongoing to meet the commitment made in the British Energy Security Strategy to review the planning barriers households face when installing energy efficiency measures in conservation areas and listed buildings. The review will ensure protection of local amenity and heritage whilst making it easier to improve energy efficiency in protected buildings. It will be published in due course.